72 THE WILD GARDEN. 



INIarsli Trefoil (IMeiiyanthes trifoliata), with its flowers deeply 

 fringed on tlie inside witli white lilaments, and tlie round 

 unopened buds blushing on the top with a rosy red like that 

 of an Apple-blossom. It will grow in a bog or any moist 

 place, or by the margin of any water. For grace, no water- 

 plant can well surpass Equisetum Telmateia, whicli, in deep 

 soil, in shady and sheltered places near water, often grows 

 several feet high, the long, close-set, slender branches depend- 

 ing from each whorl in a singularly graceful manner. It will 

 grow on the margins of lakes and streams, especially among 

 water-side bushes, or in boggy spots in the shade. 



For a bold and picturesque plant on the margin of water, 

 nothing equals the great Water Dock (Rumex Hydrolapa- 

 thum), which is rather generally dispersed over the British 

 Isles; it has leaves quite sub -tropical in aspect and size, 

 becoming of a lurid red in tlie autumn. It forms a grand 

 mass of foliage on rich muddy banks, and, unlike many water- 

 plants, lias the good quality of not spreading too much. The 

 Cat's-tail (Typha) must not he omitted, l)ut it should not be 

 allowed too much liberty. The narrow -leaved one (T. 

 angustifolia) is more graceful than the common one (T. lati- 

 folia). Carex pendula is excellent for the margins of watei', 

 its elegant drooping spikes being quite distinct in their way. 

 It is rather common in England, more so than Carex pseudo- 

 cyperus, which grows well in a foot or two of water or on the 

 margin of a muddy pond. Carex paniculata forms a strong 

 and thick stem, sometimes 3 ft. or 4 ft. high, somewhat like a 

 tree Fern, and with luxuriant masses of drooping leaves, and 

 on that account is transferred to moist places in gardens, and 

 cultivated by some, though generally these large s]iecimens 



