70 WALL AND WATER GARDENS 



the garden, and incline towards a wish for the 

 beautiful things of our own wilds, so that here 

 would be, for the earliest water flowers of the year, 

 the smaller of the wild kinds of Water Buttercup 

 {Ranunculus aquatilis). The larger kind, more frequent 

 near London, R. grandiflorus, is figured elsewhere. 

 The smaller one is in better proportion to the size 

 of the little stream. The picture shows how it grows 

 in pretty patches, though the stream is not the 

 one that is being described. Near it, but flowering 

 later, are some strong patches of the native yellow 

 Water Iris (/. Pseud-acorus), some of the same being 

 in a swampy patch a yard or two from the bank 

 on the other side of the path, with some of the 

 handsome smooth-leaved rank growth of the Water 

 Dropwort. 



A little further the tall yellow Loosestrife {Lysi- 

 machid) will make some handsome patches ; then will 

 come a few yards of rest from bright flowers and a 

 region of Fern-fringed stream bank, where the Lady 

 Fern, one of the most delicately beautiful of water- 

 side plants, should have a good space ; some plants 

 almost touching the water and others a little way up 

 the bank. 



After this the character of the stream shows a 

 change, for here is a clump of Alders, the advance 

 guard of a greater number that are to be seen 

 beyond. Now it is time to make some important 

 effect with plants of a larger size, that will prepare 

 the eye, as it were, for the larger scale of the water- 



