WILD GARDENING 



in close to a flower, which it imitates in 

 appearance so cleverly that only a sharp 

 eye will discover it there. The weed, being 

 the hardier of the two plants, would, one 

 would think, under the favouring circum- 

 stances of a cultivated bed, grow rankly in 

 its own natural way and dominate the 

 flower. Instead of this it will often adopt 

 a habit the exact reverse of its natural way, 

 and disguise itself completely. Dandelions 

 hi a well-kept lawn will keep every leaf so 

 flat to the ground that the lawn-mower 

 passes over them without cutting them. 

 But if one grows next to an Oriental poppy 

 in ,the garden, every leaf will stand erect, 

 grow to its utmost length, and hold itself 

 exactly as the leaves of the poppy do. 



The cardinal flowers, spoken of a few 

 pages back, are swamp-loving flowers, but 

 I did not plant them in the swampy portion 

 137 



