170 GARDENS PAST AND PRESENT 



bog garden was written in autumn, when the 

 changing tints were still full of glowing colour, 

 but flowering plants had mostly gone to rest. But 

 in the soft Irish air vegetation is rampant, and 

 trees and plants of many countries will flourish 

 in that mild, moist climate which utterly fail with 

 us, except in the warm south-west or the west 

 coast of Scotland. Therefore it is easy to imagine 

 how many beautiful things might be naturalised 

 and would luxuriate in such a spot the Watsonias 

 and wachendorfias and oxalises of the South 

 African vlei and crinums in the drier parts; the 

 Japanese shortias and galax, with its scarlet and 

 crimson winter foliage, the Maryland spigelia, 

 spirczas of many sorts, the rarer American cowslips 

 (Dodecatheon) and dog's-tooth violets (Erythro- 

 nium), with the lovely Irish heath (Menziesia poli- 

 folia) in its various forms to say nothing of some 

 of the gentians and moisture-loving primroses. 

 In fact, there is no end to the possibilities of such 

 a grand bog garden ; but there are few who can 

 indulge in a delightful playground of the kind. 



In our English countryside we are more apt to 

 fall in with a likely willow brake, which, under 

 certain limitations, might make a tolerable substi- 

 tute. A raised causeway leading through it would 

 be one main requisite ; but as a planting ground 

 for some of the fine but somewhat encroaching 

 marsh or moisture-loving plants no position would 

 be more suitable. Willows are generally stubbed 

 by being cut over in rotation for osiers or withies ; 

 and between the stubs colonies of marsh marigold, 

 one of the finest of our native marsh plants, are 



