108 



THE WILD riARDEN. 



beautiful little Mayrt(jwer, Epigpea repejis, we liave never succeeded in 

 growing- in our best American nurseries, as tliey are called, whicli 

 grow vdur Rliododendrons and otlier fioweriiiiT; shrubs so well. If a 

 number of young plants of this were put out in a sandy fir-wood, 

 under the shrubs and pines, as they grow in New Jersey, we should 

 succeed at once. Your l)eautiful Trillium grauditloruni is usually 

 seen here in a pour state ; luit I have seen a plant in a shady position 

 in a shrubbery, in rich, moist soil, ([uite two feet through and two 

 feet high. 



I mention these things to show tliat tlie wild garden may even 

 have a<lvantages from the point of view of cultivation. Another 



Wuodruft and Ivv. 



advantage is the facilities it atl'ords us for fujoying representations of 

 the vegetation of other conntries. Here, for example, the j)oorest soil 

 in the most neglected copse will grow a mixture of golden rods and 

 asters, whicli will give ns an aspect of vegetation everywhere seen in 

 American woods in autumn. This to you may appear a very common- 

 place delight ; but as we have nothing at all like it, it is welcome. 

 Besides, we in this way get the golden rods and coarser asters out of 

 the garden proper, in which they nsed to overrun the choicer jjlants, 

 and where they did much to disgrace the mixed border. So, in like 

 manner, you may, in New England or New Jersey, make wild gardens 

 of such of our English flowers as you love. For example, the now 

 numerous and very handsome varieties of our Primroses, Polyanthuses, 

 and Oxlips would probably succeed better with you in moist places, in 

 woods, or partially shaded positions, than in the open garden. There 



