86 ORNAMENTAL GARDENING 



walk had ever been made. If one cannot obtain rock for such a 

 purpose sand mixed with a little marl or even swamp earth will 

 answer; enough of the latter to bind the whole together but not 

 make it muddy. 



Then I dragged in rotten logs from the woods and scattered 

 them around so as to look natural. This was a difficult task 

 as they could neither be wheeled nor hauled in on account of the 

 thickness of the scrub and the soft bottom. Years before a 

 former owner of the land had chopped down the original forest 

 and some of the old logs lay there, in many cases partly covered 

 with sword ferns and Blechnums. These and the epiphytes on 

 the trees gave me my cue. 



I brought in quantities of sword ferns (Nephrolepis exaltata 

 and N. biserrata) from the hammocks and planted them on the 

 decaying logs, also in the axils of the saw palmetto leaves, while 

 in cavities of the reclining buttonwoods and on slightly elevated 

 tussocks of earth N. cordifoUa, a species much like exaltata 

 but bearing, tubers on the root stalks, was also used. It sprawls 

 along the stems of trees, throwing out new plants at short inter- 

 vals. The lovely native resurrection fern (Polypodium poly- 

 podioides) was successfully introduced. This creeps along the 

 stems of certain hardwood trees in the hammocks, drying out and 

 turning brown in dry weather but becoming fresh and resuming 

 growth whenever a quarter of an inch of rain falls. 



There are not less than ten species of epiphytal orchids growing 

 in this general region, and these with as many more kinds of wild 

 pines (Tillandsias, Guzmannias and Catopsis) were brought in, 

 tied fast to trees and, with a little watering occasionally, were 

 soon established. 



The beautiful Tongue Fern (Campyloneuron phylliditis) was 

 easily made to grow on decaying logs in such situations and on 

 large tussocks the magnificent Asplenlum serratum was found 

 to do well. This fern has long, rather broad, entire fronds of a 

 rich, glossy green, and these form a splendid crown that is 

 worthy of a king. 



More Acrostichums, Osmundas and Blechnums were brought 

 in and planted in the mud, also Crinum americanum and Hymen- 

 ocallis and several species of native herbaceous bog plants. 

 An exceedingly delicate vine with compound leaves which clings 



