38 WALL AND WATER GARDENS 



that face east or north ; the larger kinds in the 

 lower joints and quite at the foot, and many of 

 the smaller ones in the upper joints. The Common 

 Polypody runs freely along the joints, and the 

 shelter preserves the fronds from winter injury, so 

 that often, when severe weather kills the wild ones 

 in the lanes and hedges, those that have the pro- 

 tection of the wall will carry their fronds, as will 

 also the Harts-tongue, green and perfect through- 

 out the winter. 



It would be well worth having a bit of cool wall 

 for British plants and Ferns alone ; its beauty would 

 scarcely be less than that of a wall planted with 

 exotics. 



There are two small English Ferns that do not 

 object to a dry and sunny place, namely, Asplenium 

 Ruta-muraria and Asplenium Trichomanes. They 

 seem to be fond of the lime in the joints of old 

 mortar- jointed walls, and able to endure almost any 

 amount of sunshine. Of the other English plants 

 that like warm wall-treatment three come at once 

 to mind ; all of them plants so good that for 

 hundreds of years they have been cultivated in 

 gardens. These are Thrift, Wallflower, and Red 

 Valerian. In a sunny wall all these will be at 

 home. Wallflowers never look so well as in a wall, 

 where air and light is all around them and where 

 they grow sturdy and stocky, and full of vigour. 

 Compare a close-growing, bushy Wallflower in a 

 wall, with its short-jointed, almost woody stem, 

 stout and unmoved in a gale of wind, with one 



