12 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



ing Stems. The Ivy, Tecoma, Marcgravia, Philodendron, 

 and other Aroids, some species of Cereus, Ficus repens, 

 and other species of Ficus are examples of this group. 

 The climbing roots of Ivy are only fixers, and do not 

 absorb food unless they come in contact with soil, when 

 they may change their function and perform that of ordi- 

 nary roots. Thus Ivy growing on the 'ground has what 

 may be termed feeding roots all along its stem. 



CHAPTER II 

 HARDY CLIMBERS 



THE charm of English gardens is very largely due to 

 the artistic employment of a variety of plants which are 

 either climbers by nature or made to serve the purpose 

 of climbers by the application of a little art. If we were 

 limited strictly to plants of climbing habit for the decoration 

 of buildings and other objects, we should lose the effect of 

 the trained shrub and tree. The beauty of a well-trained 

 Pear, Cherry, Plum, Pyracantha, Ceanothus, Cotoneaster, 

 Escallonia, Edwardsia, Euonymus, and Forsythia is gener- 

 ally recognised, yet not one of these is strictly a climber. 

 Even Magnolia grandiflora, Eriobotrya japonica, Prunus 

 triloba, and Cydonia japonica are used most effectively for 

 clothing walls. It is surprising what the resourceful culti- 

 vator can do in the way of adapting plants to his purposes 

 by the judicious use of the knife and the wall nail. There 

 are few more lovely objects than a peach, cherry, or plum- 

 covered wall in the flowering season. One of the college 

 buildings at Cambridge is, or used to be, almost entirely 



