LITERARY WORK, ETC. 205 



every heath was killed the first winter, while most of the 

 rhododendrons lived and have now grown into large bushes, 

 of which two or three have flowered and others I still hope to 

 see flower. That winter (1890-1891) was the first of a series 

 of five severe winters ; while the first of them for duration of 

 hard frost and the last for extreme low temperature were the 

 worst known, at all events in the south of England, for about 

 sixty years. What I regretted even more than the heaths was 

 a fine young plant of the celebrated blue Puya, a present from 

 my kind friend Miss North, who had raised it from seed she 

 brought from Chile. Not having had time to get well rooted 

 in the soil it died, like the heaths, the first winter, although 

 when once well established it will bear a considerable amount 

 of frost. 



I made a little pond here to grow water-lilies and other 

 aquatic plants, and here again I met with one of the com- 

 monest difficulties of the amateur who grows more than he 

 can properly attend to, the presence of what are now termed 

 " dangerous plants." I got a small bit of the fine red Swedish 

 water-lily from Ware, and after the first year or two it grew 

 well and formed one of the greatest attractions of my garden ; 

 but I also had at one side of the pond the fine native plant, 

 Ranunculus lingua, and this, if left alone, would in a few years 

 have monopolized the whole pond and destroyed the more 

 valuable plants. Another of these rapid growers is the very 

 pretty Villarsia nympha?oides, which sends out runners in all 

 directions, and so becomes a danger to all less vigorous plants. 

 The same thing happens with alpine plants. Many, indeed 

 most of them, are quite easy to grow with a suitable position 

 and soil, but they require constant protection against stronger- 

 growing plants and weeds. The amateur must therefore 

 either make them his chief care or else limit his rockery to 

 small dimensions and grow only a few of the best kinds. In 

 stocking my garden at Parkstone I received valuable con- 

 tributions from many kind friends, among whom were the late 

 Miss Owen, Mr. H. J. Elwes, Miss Jekyll, and Sir W. T. 

 Thistleton Dyer, of Kew, and many others. Among the plants 

 which I grew here with some success were the fine blue, 



