My Garden in Spring 



gation, there are the scientific sides of the question, and 

 how very little we know of the causes of variegation, or 

 the answers to such questions as, " Why should golden 

 forms do best in full sunlight and most silver ones in 

 shade ? Why does variegation sometimes appear on one 

 half of a stem only, and is it generally true that the varie- 

 gation in such cases occurs in a self-sown plant towards 

 the magnetic north as has been solemnly averred ? Is it 

 a disease, and if so is it communicable ? " Mr. Wollaston 

 of Chislehurst, of fern-growing fame, believed it was, and 

 used to associate plants of which he desired to obtain varie- 

 gated forms with the piebald or skewbald representatives 

 of others more plastic than they, and showed many results 

 of what those who deprecate variegation would call cor- 

 ruption of good greenery by evil company. 



I have given a hearty welcome to all forms that have 

 come my way. Some few are only fit for the Lunatic 

 Asylum, but I have for the last three years been trying to 

 group the really beautiful forms of variegated plants in an 

 irregularly-shaped parcel of ground that was available for 

 planting after the downfall of sundry Horse-chestnuts and 

 Portugal Laurels. I thought it might be effective as well 

 as interesting to group them according to the nature and 

 colour of their variegation, and so it began with a planting 

 of purple-leaved things at one end and golden forms at the 

 other, and a witty friend christened it Sennacherib's corner. 

 But since then much silver has been added, in grey-leaved 

 things at one corner and as an edging stretching both 

 ways from it and reaching on one side to the commence- 

 ment of the golden plants, and a central planting of white 

 variegation forms a wedge-shaped group with the narrow 

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