Woodland Gems 65 



be within reach of the roots, and instances may be mul- 

 tipHed to the same end. To these, then, the moisture 

 is essential to the altered conditions. Quite naturally, 

 however, there are degrees, both of moisture and 

 shade, meriting consideration. The plant of the wood- 

 land — Shortia, Galax, Anemone Hepatica, Gaultheria 

 procumbens. Cyclamen, Epigsea repens, Rhexia vir- 

 ginica, Comus canadensis, or Linnsea borealis — is con- 

 tent with the cool and shelter this Nature-given pro- 

 tector affords. In such a case humidity may not only 

 be entirely lacking, but dryness may be present for 

 long periods. Hence the uniform coolness of the posi- 

 tion shutting out great heat would appear important. 

 If we bring these plants into fuller light and exposure, 

 more root moisture — the equivalent, in many instances, 

 of much shade — must be given, albeit some would not 

 respond so well even then. In short, the denizens of 

 the woodland appear largely to have a choice apart, 

 revelling as much, it may be, in the companionship of 

 the low-growing herbs by which they are surrounded 

 as in the shelter, and resenting separation from either. 

 It is a little doubtful, perhaps, whether this fact is 

 appreciated by cultivators at its fullest worth, and we 

 direct attention thereto accordingly. 



The true sun-loving subjects are not, on the other 

 hand, so amenable to altered conditions as the shade 

 lovers, since sunlight and sunheat — the chief stimu- 

 lants to all vegetable life — would appear to be their all 

 in all. To plant, for instance, the incrusted and allied 

 Saxifragas (Fig. 32) in a shady place would quickly 

 bring about their undoing. They revel in sunlight and 

 warmth, dryness and perfect drainage coming next in 

 importance. Some of these plants may, by reason of 

 their vigour, be cultivated on level ground, in moist 

 clayey soils, though not with a full measure of suc- 

 cess. That is to say, some of their silvery character- 

 istic beauty and charm is lost, a little it may be by a too 

 close association with the soil and its richer food sup- 

 plies, and a little also by the absence of rock which is 



