CHAPTER XXIII 

 ENGLISH EFFECTS WITH HARDY BOG PLANTS 



The unique charm of orchids, pitcher plants, lilies that grow ten feet 

 high, and other superb flowers which will thrive only in soil that 

 is always moist 



I HOPE I have no reader who imagines for one instant that 

 "bog gardens" have anything to do with mosquitoes, 

 malaria, green scum, bad smells, wet feet, or anything 

 unhealthy or unpleasant. If so, let him read the chapter on 

 Peat Gardens and his prejudices will melt away as "breath off'n 

 a razor." Fifteen minutes in Sir Henry Yorke's bog garden would 

 turn the most hardened skeptic into an enthusiast for life. The 

 man whose soul does not thrill at the sight of a colony of lady 

 slippers (plate 33) must be in a bad way. And these hardy 

 orchids are typical of the wonders of the bog garden, many of 

 which are amongst the shyest and most exquisite flowers in the 

 world. The bog garden is a notable institution in England, and 

 it should be even more popular in America, for, heaven 

 knows, we have pest holes enough that should be drained 

 and filled. 



The ideal thing to do with a bit of low, wet land is to dig out 

 enough of it to make a little lake and, if the land be springy, a 

 brook leading to the lake. (See plate 96.) For then you can solve 

 the whole problem of mosquitoes and malaria by simply putting 

 gold fish into the lake. The running brook will do away with 



scum and sour soil. The splendid water supply will make every 



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