THE POND 181 



Of moist peat-lovers I have not as yet got a 

 collection worth mentioning. Such things as mer- 

 tensia, cimicifuga the snake root, xerophyllum seti- 

 folium, gaultherias, adiantum pedatum, galax aphylla, 

 Sarracenia flava, shortia galacifolia, tiarella, swertia 

 perennis with mysterious blue-black flowers, and a 

 few others occur ; but I lack the stately and impor- 

 tant things the varieties of pieris, for instance, 

 a good collection of heaths, and the many fine 

 American swamp or moisture loving shrubs now 

 successfully grown in this country. My rhododen- 

 drons do well in peat, but the local soil is death 

 to them, and they must not even know that it is 

 near. 



Lobelia fulgens makes a splendid show in peat, and 

 the varieties of meconopsis Wallichi and Nepalen- 

 sis like a similar spot. Other plants that I possess 

 are gunnera scabra with a respectful allowance 

 of space for his great achievements podophyllum 

 peltatum, and p. emodi; rheum emodi and megasea 

 cordifolia. Phormium and solidago rear their heads 

 hard by, and the huge acanthus latifolius also finds 

 a corner. Rodgersia podophylla for some reason 

 sulks ; but ferula gigantea a giant fennel and 

 heracleum giganteum have established themselves 

 to great advantage. Of course you want far more 

 room than I have got for these things still, they 

 shall be found, and nobody can honestly say I 

 crowd them or let them crowd their betters. But 

 they should have a riverside or the bank of a large 

 sheet of water to show most of them in real 



