CHAPTER XIV 



SECOND WEEK IN APRIL 



IN a garden which contains no specially damp corner we 

 find it a good plan to grow bog plants, as well as water- 

 lilies, in tubs, which may be entirely hidden by sinking 

 them to the rim in the soil, or placed at special points, cover- 

 ing the wood with a deep fringe of creeping jenny (Lysi- 

 machia nummularia), with its golden trails of bloom, mixed 

 with the rich crimson-brown of Saxifraga sarmentosa 

 (mother o' thousands), which produces its delicate lace-like 

 runners far better in a bog than in a dry place. A cask 

 (such as those used for paraffin), sawn in two, is well charred 

 inside by burning shavings in it until all the oil which clings 

 to the wood is consumed ; the outside may then be painted 

 a dark olive-green, and a cork should be fitted to the hole. 

 This hole is, however, left open if the tub is to be entirely 

 sunk in the soil, as some drainage is necessary in autumn 

 and winter ; even in the spring it may be desirable to draw 

 off the water occasionally, half-filling the tub again in a few 

 days' time. The lower 6 inches (the tub being 2 feet deep) 

 is then filled with broken crocks and cinders, covered with a 

 layer of clean moss, and on this rough pieces of peat are 

 placed, with an abundance of charcoal sprinkled over it. 

 The 10 inches above the peat is filled, at the time of plant- 

 ing, with the soil most suitable to the plant ; for instance, 

 where clumps of bog irises are grown, rich, ordinary loam 

 will be used, whilst many plants will prefer a mixture of 

 peat and loam. The upper surface of the bog is covered 

 with sphagnum moss, which, if the tips are inserted, will 

 take root in the soil. 



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