i8 The Wild Garden. 



obscure plants in this order that possess the truest, 

 deepest, and most delicate of blues, and which will 

 thrive as well in the positions I allude to as common 

 weeds. The Gentians and high alpine plants require 

 some care in our sluggish lowlands, but not so these. 

 The creeping Omphalodes verna even surpasses the 

 Forget-me-not in the depth and beauty of its blue 

 and its general good qualities, and runs about quite 

 freely in any shady or half-shady shrubbery, wood, 

 or rough rockwork. Its proper home is the wood 

 or semi-wild spot, where it takes care of itself. Put 

 it in a garden, and probably, unless the soil and re- 

 gion be moist, it soon perishes. Besides, in the 

 border, it would be a not very agreeable object 

 when once the sweet spring bloom had passed ; 

 whereas in the positions spoken of, in consequence 

 of the predominance of trees, shrubs, and tall herbs, 

 the low plants are not noticed when out of flower, 

 but crawl about unobserved till returning spring re- 

 minds those fortunate enough to see them how 

 chaste and superior is the inexpensive and natural 

 kind of gardening here advocated. 



Another plant of the order is so suitable and use- 

 ful for this purpose, that if a root or two of it be 

 planted in any shrubbery, it will soon run about, 

 exterminate the weeds, and prove quite a lesson 



