40 MY GARDEN 



together with berchemia and menispermum cana- 

 dense, the moon-seed. The orange-red mutisia 

 decurrens, though slightly fussy and hard to please, 

 has been invited to try in a sheltered spot. His 

 dwelling-place is the Chilian Andes, and one does 

 not blame him for a little home-sickness. 



I come to tropaeolum. Majus looks after himself in 

 my garden and we meet him everywhere rambling 

 joyously about in summer-time. Sometimes I smile 

 if he has made a happy choice, and selected some 

 barren corner for his fireworks ; and sometimes I 

 frown, and seize him and drag him up and hurl him 

 out, if, too greatly daring, he has rushed in where 

 perhaps the choicest creeper or twiner would fear 

 to tread. But I like this Indian upon the place. He 

 has something in common with a good-hearted but 

 neglected dog. He asks for nothing and gets it. If 

 we bestow upon him a friendly pat sometimes, he 

 can hardly believe his luck. Tropaeolum speciosum is 

 one of the plants that brings a sigh with it if you 

 live by the southern sea. We all declare that we 

 grow it ; but we never bother you to come and see 

 the result. We never photograph it; we hurry past 

 it ; our faces fall when that tropaeolum is the matter. 

 No, the flame-flowered nasturtium is but little good 

 to us. 1 Of course I know what it does in Scotland. 

 There is no consolation in that. I become mean and 

 petty about tropaeolum speciosum now, when north- 

 country folk expatiate upon it. " Yes," I say, " I hear 



1 Some gardeners, however, do well with it among us. They are the 

 rare geniuses, who do well with everything. 



