68 THE WILD GARDEN. 



imprisoned water, in fact ; and altbuugli we obtain breadth 

 by confining water, still, in many cases, we prefer tlie brook, or 

 water in motion, as it ripples between mossy rocks or flower- 

 fringed banks. The brook -margin, too, otters opportnnities to 

 lovers of hardy flowers which few other situations can rival. 

 Hitherto we have only used in and near such places aipuitic 

 or bog plants, and of these usually a very meagre selection ; 

 but the improvement of the brook-side will be most readily 

 effected by planting the banks with hardy flowers, making 

 it a wild garden, in fact. A great number of our finest herb- 

 aceous plants, from Irises to Globe-flowers, thrive best in the 

 moist soil found in such positions ; numbers of hardy flowers, 

 also, that do not in nature prefer such soil, would exist in 

 perfect health in it. The wild garden illustrated by the 

 water-side will give us some of the most charminu,- garden 

 pictures. Land ])lants would have this :uh;intage over water 

 ones, that we could fix their position, whereas water plants 

 are apt to spread everywhere, and sometimes one kind 

 exterminates the rest ; therefore it might, in many cases, be 

 better not to encourage the water or water-side vegetation, l)ut 

 to form little colonies of hardy flowers along the banks. The 

 plants, of course, should be such as would grow freely among 

 Grass and take care of themselves. If different types of 

 vegetation were encouraged on each siile of the water, the 

 effect would be all the better. The connnon way of repeat- 

 ing a favourite plant at intervals would spoil all : groups of 

 free hardy things, different in each place as one passed, would 

 be best ; Day Lilies ; Phloxes, which love moisture ; Irises, 

 mainly the beardless kinds, whicli love wet places, but all 

 the flne Germanica forms will du ; Gunnera; Aster; Anieri- 



