In My Vicarage Garden 



were growing out of a turf of short grass, which, 

 though short, gave protection and shade to the 

 roots. 



The same lesson of the value of shade and 

 protection was taught in other ways. One of the 

 most graceful of the clematises, and, as I think, 

 quite the most beautiful of all wild climbers, is the 

 blue atragene alpina. It is abundant in Tyrol, 

 but it is always growing amongst the fir trees, 

 up which it loves to climb. Another lovely plant 

 that always rejoices the heart of the man who 

 sees it wild for the first time is the ladies' slipper 

 (cypripedium calceolus). I saw this abundantly 

 near San Martino, and, wherever I saw it, it was 

 forcing its way through the lower prostrate 

 boughs of pinus mughus ; it is, I know, found 

 in other positions, but it was only in that 

 position that I found it. It was the same with 

 the aquilegia alpina, of which I found several 

 at Piora ; but in every case the flower was coming 

 through the alpenrose. It is quite possible that 

 in both these cases the plant would grow else- 

 where, but the pine and the alpenrose protected 

 them from the cattle and the goats ; and it showed 

 that such places were quite fitted for their perfect 

 growth. The same thing often occurs in gardens; 

 every gardener knows how apt weeds are to come 

 up in the very midst of his pet plants ; groundsel 

 delights in the close neighbourhood of- other 

 plants ; and the wild violet and the dandelion 

 have a most objectionable habit of sowing them- 

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