138 OUR ROCK-GARDEN 



with some satisfaction the following paragraph in 

 the "Flora Londinensis " of William Curtis, a 

 delightful book full of the most beautiful and lifelike 

 illustrations, published in 1777 and following years : 

 " Tempted by the lively appearance which I had 

 often observed some banks to assume from being 

 covered with the blossoms of this convolvulus I 

 planted twelve feet of a bank, in my garden, which 

 was about four feet in height, with roots of it," 

 and his story ends as ours does " they quickly 

 covered the whole." Uncharitable people may, 

 however, still say that this happened over a 

 century ago, that the world should be wiser now, 

 and that his planting forty-eight square feet with 

 hedge trash in no way condones our planting sixty 

 feet in like manner. " In things essential unity, in 

 non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity." 



There are certain things that we need scarcely 

 plant, as we may feel assurance that they will in 

 any case look in on us. The red and white 

 archangels will certainly be of the company when 

 once the news spreads that there is a bit of wild 

 garden, and the pimpernel, and many others, will 

 soon appear. In addition to this the mere bringing 

 home from the countryside of certain things that 

 we have desired will probably end in our uncon- 

 sciously bringing others. Another plant that is 

 fairly certain to appear is the climbing buckwheat. 

 It is often called the black convolvulus, though 



