14 WALL AND WATER GARDENS 



leaves look fresh and pretty in the joints of stones. It 

 flowers quite early in the year and then withers away 

 completely, but the seeds sow themselves, and so with- 

 out any one taking any thought or trouble it renews 

 itself faithfully from year to year. Many small Ferns 

 will also be quite happy in the front joints of the 

 shady steps, such as Cheilanthes vestita, Cystopteris 

 fragilis and C. dickieana, Asplenium Trichomanes, A. 

 Ruta-muraria, Ceterach, and the Woodsias. 



The little creeping Arenaria balearica will grow up 

 the cool side of the wall or the front edge of steps and 

 be a carpet of vivid green in deepest winter, and in 

 June will show a galaxy of little white stars on inch- 

 long thread-like stalks that shiver in the prettiest way 

 to the puffing of a breath of wind or the weight of 

 raindrops of a summer shower. 



In a couple of years or even less, small Mosses will 

 appear on the stones themselves, and the spores of 

 Ferns wind-blown will settle in the stony face and in 

 the joints ; then will come the delight of seeing these 

 lovely things growing spontaneously, and coming 

 willingly to live in the homes we have made ready 

 for them. 



No little flowering plant seems more willing to take 

 to such a place than Erinus alpinus. As soon as steps 

 grow mossy (even if they are of solid bricklayer's work 

 with mortar joints), if a few seeds of Erinus are sown 

 in the mossy tufts they will gladly grow as shown in 

 the illustration, where this cheerful little plant has 

 been established on some solid steps of rough sand- 

 stone leading to a loft, and now scatters its own seed 



