CHAPTER VIII 



THE WATER GARDEN 



WATER in a landscape is as a mirror to a room the 

 feature that doubles and enhances all its charms. 

 Whoever may possess a lake, a pond or a pool to 

 catch the sunbeams, duplicate the trees and flowers on its bank, 

 reflect the moon, and multiply the stars, surely will. A distinct 

 and delightful class of plants may then be added to one s place. 



Where may one hope to have a water garden ? Anywhere ! 

 For a wash-tub, sunk in a city back yard, would hold at least one 

 of the pastel-tinted water-lilies. Even a rain barrel under the 

 water-spout of a farm house has grown quantities of water hya 

 cinths that sent up spires of porcelain-blue blossoms throughout 

 the summer; but only this plant that can anchor its peculiar roots 

 firmly enough to resist the sudden downpour of thunderstorms 

 and has vigour enough to choke the river Amazon should be chosen 

 for such a place. 



One charming little water garden was planted in kerosene 

 oil barrels. First they were sawed in half, then set fire to within, 

 presently turned open end downward on the ground to extinguish 

 the flames after the oil was consumed, and then sunk to their depth 

 in the earth at different intervals and levels in a sheltered, sunny 

 spot; the perfect circle of their basins concealed by irregularly 

 placed stones with the everywhere useful creeping phlox, candytuft, 

 the dwarf bamboo and Japanese iris growing between them. And 

 the whole ten tubs, each slowly dripping its overflow into another 

 through little concrete gutters cleverly hidden under the stones, were 



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