172 The Wild Garden 



in the spots overshadowed by the branches of summer 

 leafing trees. There are few kinds of gardening more 

 interesting than naturahzing the fine hardy ferns of North 

 America. Those having peaty and leafy soils have a great 

 advantage, as many of the plants grow in these soils natur- 

 ally; though the ferns will often grow in loamy soils they 

 do not endure so long or spread so rapidly. The great 

 ferns, like the Feather Ferns that live in the ditches and 

 wet hollows in American woods, are not so difficult, and 

 will grow in any moist deep peat. 



Geranium, Geranium Erodium. — Handsome perennials, 



mostly with bluish, 

 pinkish, or deep rose 

 flowers. Some of the 

 stouter kinds of the 

 hardy geraniums, such 

 as G. ibericum and 

 G. Armenum, are the 

 A hardy GERANIUM. vcry plauts to takc 



care of themselves in 

 open places. With them might be grown the fine Erodium 

 Manescavi ; and where there are very bare places, on which 

 they would not be overrun by coarser plants, the smaller 

 Erodium, such as E. romanum. 



Goat's Rue, Galega. — Tall and graceful perennials, with 

 numerous pink, blue, or white flowers, G. officinalis and its 

 white variety are among the pretty tall border flowers, and 

 they are useful for planting in rough places, as is also the 

 blue G. orientalis and G. biloba, being all free growers. 



Gypsophila, Gypsophila. — Neat perennials, hardy, and 

 with myriads of flowers, mostly small, and of a pale pinkish 

 hue. They are best suited for rocky or sandy ground, or 



