THE NEW WATER-GARDENING 241 



The modern hybrid Water Lilies far exceed the old 

 white species, alba, in duration. That passes soon after 

 midsummer, but the hybrids will continue flowering until 

 mid-autumn if there is enough sun to keep the water 

 from getting sharply chilled. The reds are more vigorous 

 and lasting than the whites and blues, and the grower 

 may have flowers on them until the end of October. 



Most lovers of pool-gardens like to relieve the flatness 

 of the Water Lilies with reeds, but I would caution a 

 beginner against planting a strong reed like the Reed 

 Mace, Typha latifolia, in a small pool, for it may dominate 

 the situation with its dense masses of root and thick 

 clusters of strong stems. The roots may, indeed, become 

 interlaced with those of the Nymphseas, and render 

 division difficult. Moreover, when the reeds wither in 

 autumn they stand above the water in stiff brown masses 

 which give the water a desolate and forbidding appearance. 

 And they cannot be pulled away without exercising such 

 force as to tear whole masses away from the bed and 

 leave them floating derelict in the pool ; the consequence 

 is they have to be cut below the surface a slow and 

 tedious process. I find that when there is an over- 

 growth of reeds the best plan of reducing them is to thin 

 them out while in full growth in summer ; at that season 

 they will part from the roots under the pressure of a 

 steady pull, and there is no difficulty in reducing crowded 

 masses to reasonable proportions. 



One of the best foliage plants for a small pool is Cyperus 

 longus, a graceful grassy plant. The narrow-leaved Reed 

 Mace, Typha angustifolia, may also be grown. The 

 Sedges, too, are useful. 



For the best of flowering plants we must still turn to 

 the hybrid Nymphaeas, and even with these there is room 

 for discrimination, inasmuch as some are much stronger 

 Q 



