136 OUR ROCK-GARDEN 



and the latter always in the reverse direction. The 

 gardeners have developed many beautiful varieties : 

 one of these we figure in Plate XIV. It rambles 

 gloriously for yards, and in one corner of our 

 garden we have this and the white-flowered 

 bindweed growing together, and each in con- 

 sequence adding to the charm of the other. 



The sea convolvulus Convolvulus Soldanella is 

 another beautiful species, with numerous large rose- 

 coloured flowers and rounded fleshy leaves, but 

 this, though common enough as a maritime plant 

 on the sand-dunes, apparently declines all cultural 

 blandishments unless the conditions absolutely 

 reproduce those of nature, and this problem at 

 fifty miles from the coast is entirely hopeless. We 

 have tried again and again, but only to fail. 



The small convolvulus Convolvulus arvensis 

 thrives on light soils and has a perennial root 

 which penetrates so deeply that it is next to 

 impossible to get rid of it. One may sometimes 

 find that it has gone down over three feet into 

 the ground. We may say parenthetically that 

 one scarcely realises, without actual experiment, 

 how deeply many plants do penetrate. We had 

 a great clump of mallow that grew rather out of 

 bounds, and moreover each year surrounded itself 

 with a vigorous crop of seedlings, and at last, 

 after several ineffectual attempts to dispossess it, 

 we determined that we would literally go radically 



