242 COME INTO THE GARDEN 



be grown in close quarters, if the gardener simply 

 cannot live without one. 



Instead of water-lilies however there are 

 several charming aquatics less rampant in 

 growth and of long extended bloom, available 

 for modest pools. One of these which cannot 

 fail to be a source of great pleasure is the water 

 hyacinth, the weed which put an end to navi- 

 gation on a southern river years ago but which 

 above the frost line can never be a menace, even 

 if it escape from cultivation, since it is tender 

 and killed back by winter. There are two vari- 

 eties of this, one bearing lavender-blue flowers, 

 the other blossoms of a rosy-lilac. The former 

 needs to be planted in soil under four to eight 

 inches of water, but the lilac-flowered variety 

 (which is the pest) is a true floating plant and 

 needs only to be placed on the water. It will 

 take root of itself however, if the water is not 

 more than six or eight inches deep and there is 

 earth at the bottom; and as it blossoms during 

 July and August when other flowers are not 

 abundant, it is highly desirable. 



It may be grown also in an ordinary tub half 

 filled with earth and filled to the brim with 

 water; and if no other attempt at water gar- 

 dening seems desirable or possible, here is an in- 

 teresting variant of it that may entertain if one 



