iQo The Wild Garden 



and S. sibirica. Bifolia and sibirica would be better on sunny 

 banks or sheltered fringes of shrubberies. The tall kinds 

 would do in woods or copses like the bluebell. With the 

 dwarfer Scilla might be associated the grape hyacinth and 

 the amethyst hyacinth (Hyacinthus amethystinus). 



Comfrey, Symphytum. — Herbaceous plants of the borage 

 order, usually with handsome blue flowers. One of the 

 handsomest spring flowers is Symphytum caucasicum, and it 

 is also one of the easiest things to naturalize, running about 

 in shrubby places. Coarse kinds, like S. asperrimum (unfit 

 for garden culture), thrive apace among the largest plants in 

 ditches and rich bottoms, and look beautiful when in flower. 



Scabious, Scabiosa, Cephalaria, Knautia. — Sometimes hand- 

 some and free-growing herbaceous plants, bluish, purplish, 

 or yellowish in colour of flowers. Among these may be seen, 

 in botanic and other gardens, plants suited for naturalization, 

 but scarcely worthy of a place in the garden. The fine 

 S. caucasica would thrive in warm soil, as would the Knautias 

 in any soil. 



Stonecrop, Sedum. — Small and usually prostrate plants, 

 with white, yellow, or rosy flowers, and occurring in multi- 

 tudes on most of the mountain chains of northern and 

 temperate countries. There are few of these pretty plants 

 that would not grow on the top of an old wall, or thatched 

 house, or stony bank, or bare ground, as well as our common 

 Stonecrop. All grow in any soil, are as easily increased as 

 any weed, and grow anywhere if they are not too much 

 overshadowed by trees and coarser vegetation. Such kinds as 

 S. spurium, S. pulchellum, kamtschaticum, and S. spectabile 

 are among the best. 



Rockfoil, Saxifraga. — ^A very extensive family of plants, 

 abundant on mountains in northern countries. For our 



