194 The Wild Garden 



always hardy plants, they are so free in many soils that 

 they might with confidence be planted in the wild garden, 

 and our sketch shows a picturesque group of them planted 

 in this way. 



Showy Indian Cress, Tropceolum speciosum. — Against 

 walls, among shrubs, and on slopes, on moist banks, or 

 bushy banks near the hardy fernery, in deep, rich, and light 

 soil, this brilliant plant is well worth any trouble to establish. 

 Many fail with it in the garden, but moist, shady, and bushy 

 places will suit it better, and, in the south of England and 

 on warm soils, the north sides of houses and walls, rocks 

 and beds of shrubs should be chosen. 



Mullein, Verbascum. — Verbascum vernale is a noble plant, 

 which has been slowly spreading in our collections of hardy 

 plants for some years past, and it is one of peculiar merit. 

 I first saw it in the Garden of Plants, and brought home 

 some roots which gave rise to the stock now in our gardens. 

 Its peculiarity, or rather its merit, is that it is a true perennial 

 species— at least on warm soils— and in this respect quite 

 unlike other Mulleins that are sometimes seen in our gardens, 

 and oftener in our hedgerows. It also has the advantage 

 of great height, growing to a height of lo feet, or even 

 more. Then there are the large and green leaves, which 

 come up rather early and are extremely effective. Finally, 

 the colour is good and the quantity of yellow flowers with 

 purplish filaments that are borne on one of these great 

 branching panicles is enormous. The use of such a plant 

 cannot be difficult to define, it being so good in form and so 

 distinct in habit. Another good kind is V. phlomoides, which 

 I saw last autumn abundantly wild in Touraine, in stony 

 places about Chenonceau, and which might be sown with us 

 in like places. 



