ao5 The Wild Garden. 



less fastidious than that, there is nothing to prevent 

 all from enjoying its beauty. Villarsia nymphae- 

 oides is also another capital water plant, with float- 

 ing, small, water-lily-like leaves, which are dotted 

 in July with a profusion of yellow flowers — so 

 much so as to produce a very showy effect on a 

 piece of garden water ; and on such it associates 

 very well with the white water-lily. In fact, the 

 prettiest effect I have ever seen on any ornamental 

 water was produced by this plant lining a small 

 shrub-bordered bay, a group of water-lilies appear- 

 ing on its outer or deep-water side. Seen from the 

 opposite shore the effect was charming — large 

 queenly water-lilies in front, then a wide-spreading 

 mass of green thickly sprinkled with starry yellow, 

 and behind all the green healthy shrubs which came 

 to the water's edge on the shores of the little bay. 



Jacob's Ladder, or Greek Valerian as it is some- 

 times called, also belongs to the Gentian order, and 

 is an ornamental border plant, but its variegated 

 variety (Polemonium cseruleum variegatum) is of 

 the highest character and value. It resembles a 

 variegated fern, each pinnate leaf being decidedly 

 and well marked, and the plant forms a capital 

 subject for edgings, or the flower garden in any 

 way. It is much used in fine flower gardens, 



