THE ROCK-WALL IN SUN 25 



and leafy stems, and an abundance of pale purplish 

 wide-open bloom, large for the size of the plant. 

 Most of the Thistles, however handsome in leaf, are 

 disappointing in flower. This good plant, on the 

 contrary, surprises by the size and quality of its 

 bloom. It is not a plant to mix up with other 

 things in a border, but exactly right for the hot 

 rock-wall. 



Parochetus communis must not be forgotten. It is 

 one of the flowers of perfect blue, a delight and surprise 

 to see on a little plant that looks like a humble Clover. 

 Being a native of Nepaul, it is not always hardy in 

 English gardens, but the shelter of the wall will pre- 

 serve it in any of our southern districts. 



The foot of the wall will be best if it is not planted 

 closely all along, but if occasionally some handsome 

 warmth-loving plant is there in a tuft or group. Some 

 of the plants most suitable for this place will be 

 Acanthus, Iris stylosa, Crinums and Plumbago Lar- 

 peni(Z, and of smaller plants, Anomatheca cruenta, 

 Anemone fulgens, and in the south, Amaryllis Bella- 

 donna, Pancratium illyricum, and Zephryanthes carinata. 

 An occasional bush at the wall-foot would also come 

 well, such as Rosemary, Cistus lusitanicus, Veronica 

 hulkeana, Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius, or Griselinia 

 littoralis. 



Wonderful is the pictorial quality of Ivy, and its 

 power of assimilation with the forms and surfaces of 

 ancient buildings. For a permanent covering of any- 

 thing ugly of brick or stone it is also a most helpful 

 auxiliary, and though I am just now considering ways 



