170 The W^ild Garden 



garden are sometimes more suitable to many plants than 

 borders, the plants remaining longer in bloom in the shade 

 and shelter of shrubby places than when exposed. As an 

 instance of this, I saw Funkia coerula showing great size and 

 beauty in a shady drive at Beauport, near Battle. The plant 

 was over a yard high, and bore many stately stems hung 

 with blue flowers. The Plantain Lilies are plants for the wild 

 garden, not being liable to the accidents that are fatal to Lilies 

 and other plants exposed to the attacks of slugs and rabbits. 



Groups of SIBBOLD'S PLANTAIN LILT. 



Snake's-head, Fritillaria — The beautiful British Snake's- 

 head (F. Meleagris) grows wild, as most people know, in 

 meadows in various parts of England, and should be 

 established in the meadows of many a country seat. Various 

 other Fritillarias not so pretty as this, and of a peculiar livid 

 dark hue, which is not like to make them popular in gardens, 

 would be worthy of a position also. Of such is F. tristis, 

 and the Crown Imperial would do on the fringes of 

 shrubberies. The Golden Fritillary is charming, and when 

 plentiful will be lovely in the wild garden. 



