222 CLIMBERS 



flower has the strength of "Scots wha.hae with Wallace bled," 

 while the foliage is as delicate and tender as "Annie Laurie.'* 

 Even England is not cool and moist enough for the flame flower, 

 so you can imagine with what pride the author of "Potpourri in a 

 Surrey Garden" showed me this nasturtium on her own holly. 



Possibly we might do something of the sort with ordinary 

 nasturtiums on rhododendrons or mountain laurel, but I fear it 

 would be very tame by comparison, and the seeds would of course 

 have to be sown every year, as the plant is an annual, while the 

 flame flower is perennial. 



It would be folly to trust our precious rhododendrons and 

 laurel to any strangling honeysuckles or other rampant vines. 

 The ideal vine for the purpose should look fragile and be hardy. 

 The only one I think of that answers all the requirements is Cle- 

 matis paniculata. Even our own wild clematis is a bit untidy in 

 fruit. I would rather use it on deciduous shrubs, as many do. 

 The two species recommended by Mr. Robinson are Clematis 

 Viticella and alpina, but whether they would do well here remains 

 to be seen. 



EFFECTS WE CANNOT HAVE OUR JOB 



The South and the Pacific coast can rival England in luxu- 

 riance and variety, but the North cannot. In New England ivy 

 must be covered in winter or else grown on the ground. East of 

 the Rockies we may never have climbing roses growing up to the 

 third story of a house and producing large, double flowers all 

 summer. (See plate 76.) The great wonder-working genus Clematis 

 is only partially available to us. England can grow anything 

 which the North can and a great deal more. That is not strictly 

 true, but it is exasperatingly near the truth. 



It will be three centuries, at least, before America as a whole 



