286 GARDEN PLANNING 



best placed in an isolated position where it will 

 have space to throw out its graceful, arching 

 foliage, and if possible it should have a foliage 

 background for the creamy plumes it produces 

 so freely. 



Terrace walls, whether the brick or masonry 

 kinds so dear to the architect, or the rough 

 rubble walls which with advantage may take 

 their place, should never be allowed to be bare. 

 The former may be clothed with creepers, the 

 latter with alpines. Shady corners, and spaces 

 unsuitable for flower-growing, may be planted 

 with ferns, which thrive best in shade if they 

 have protection from cold winds. 



An interesting feature in an English garden 

 was called an "Orchid Dell" by the owner. It 

 was a hollow on a chalky hillside, which had 

 been excavated at some earlier period, and, 

 before taken in hand, had supported a straggling 

 growth of hazel. Soil had gravitated to the 

 bottom, and had become overgrown with fine 

 grass. Native ferns were planted freely about 

 the hazel stems. A rough spiral path was 

 carried from the floor to the brink of the dell, 

 threading its way through the thicket. In the 

 grass, native orchids were planted, and the con- 



