72 THE WILD GARDEN. 
Marsh Trefoil (Menyanthes trifoliata), with its flowers deeply 
fringed on the inside with white filaments, and the round 
unopened buds blushing on the top with a rosy red like that 
of an Apple-blossom. It will grow in a bog or any moist 
place, or by the margin of any water. For grace, no water- 
plant can well surpass Equisetum Telmateia, which, in deep 
soil, in shady and sheltered places near water, often grows 
several feet high, the long, close-set, slender branches depend- 
ing from each whorl in a singularly graceful manner. It will 
grow on the margins of lakes and streams, especially among 
water-side bushes, or in boggy spots in the shade. 
For a bold and picturesque plant on the margin of water, 
nothing equals the great Water Dock (Rumex Hydrolapa- 
thum), which is rather generally dispersed over the British 
Isles; it has leaves quite sub-tropical in aspect and size, 
becoming of a lurid red in the autumn. It forms a grand 
mass of foliage on rich muddy banks, and, unlike many water- 
plants, has the good quality of not spreading too much. The 
Cat’s-tail (Typha) must not be omitted, but it should not be 
allowed too much liberty. The narrow-leaved one (T. 
angustifolia) is more graceful than the common one (T. lati- 
folia). Carex pendula is excellent for the margins of water, 
its elegant drooping spikes being quite distinct in their way. 
It is rather common in England, more so than Carex pseudo- 
cyperus, which grows well in a foot or two of water or on the 
margin of a muddy pond. Carex paniculata forms a strong 
and thick stem, sometimes 3 ft. or 4 ft, high, somewhat like a 
tree Fern, and with luxuriant masses of drooping leaves, and 
on that account is transferred to moist places in gardens, and 
cultivated by some, though generally these large specimens 
