My Garden in Spring 



would have been the result of only using the bank. We 

 reach the newest portion first, a good long stretch of bank 

 between the river above and the meadow below. In the 

 centre of this is the fish-hatchery moraine bed I have de- 

 scribed in a former chapter, and as the whole bank faces 

 due south such a sheltered home for new plants has filled 

 up with marvellous rapidity. I was obliged to plant a 

 screen of Hollies and other evergreens at the top by the 

 river-walk, as otherwise there would be no intervening pro- 

 tection between the rock garden and the North Pole. This 

 bank has had a year to get covered, and this May morn- 

 ing is full of flowers. 



From a long way off one sees a glowing orange patch 

 that at close quarters turns out to be Meconopsis hetero- 

 phylla, the only member of the family that comes from 

 America. It is hard to beat when well grown, but an 

 annual, and unless self-sown is difficult to induce to grow 

 into a strong tuft. The plants we are looking at appeared 

 last autumn, and though they looked very sad during cold 

 and wet spells of winter weather, they battled through, 

 keeping a few of their many-patterned leaves green in spite 

 of frosts and slugs, and starting off into rapid growth in 

 Spring. Now they bear a thick crop of orange coloured 

 flowers of a particularly beautiful shade that is greatly 

 improved by the deep chocolate-red eye. Above them 

 Linum arboreum is a solid sheet of the clearest Daffodil 

 yellow, very effective wedged between two large blocks of 

 grey stone. Helianthemum umbellatum is full of its dainty 

 white flowers, and one of the most refined and beautiful 

 members of this sun-loving family, and very different in 

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