76 WALL AND WATER GARDENS 



plants, one native, one North American — Goodyera 

 repens, with its brightly veined and marbled leaves, 

 creeping close to the ground, where it may have to 

 be looked for among the moss, and Mitchella repens, 

 the Partridge Berry. This little plant also creeps 

 among the moss. It has neat entire leaves veined 

 with white, and bright red berries following whitish 

 flowers. 



Another plant from North America, a strange, hand- 

 some thing that deserves to be better known, will have 

 a place in this region. Out of bloom it would never 

 be noticed among its neighbouring clumps of Royal 

 Fern, for it looks only like a tuft of grass ; but when 

 it throws up its tall flower-spikes, Xerophyllum is a 

 plant that commands admiration and even some sur- 

 prise. It flourishes in a peaty place that is cool and 

 damp though not swampy. Another plant of con- 

 siderable beauty, Galax aphylla, likes exactly the same 

 conditions, with a little shade added. This is another 

 of the good things that has come to us from North 

 America, and is a precious plant in several ways of 

 gardening ; it is so neat and pretty that it is suitable 

 as a single plant among the choicest things in a re- 

 stricted collection, while in the wild garden it is 

 equally in place in considerable masses. It thrives 

 where there is peat or sandy leaf-mould that can 

 always be kept a little moist, and though rather 

 slow at first, yet as soon as the tufts begin to grow 

 strongly they increase, spreading outwards, fairly fast. 

 The flowers are gracefully carried on thin, strong. 



