96 THE WILD GARDEN. 
rock plants that would not be able to hold their own among 
Grass and ordinary weeds and wild flowers. One of the 
happiest features of this wild garden results from the way 
in which dead trees have been adorned. Once dead, some 
of the smaller branches are lopped off, and one or more 
climbers planted at the base of the tree. Here a Clematis, 
a climbing Rose, a new kind of Ivy, a wild Vine, or a 
Virginian Creeper, have all they require, a firm support on 
which they may arrange themselves after their own natural 
habit, without being mutilated, or without trouble to the 
planter, and fresh ground free to themselves. What an 
admirable way, too, of growing the many and varied species 
of Clematis! as beautiful as varieties with flowers as large as 
saucers. Even when an old tree falls and tosses up a mass 
of soil and roots the wild gardener is ready with some 
subject from his mixed border to adorn the projection, and 
he may allow some choice Bramble or wild Vine to scramble 
over the prostrate stem. A collection of Ivies grown on old 
tree-stems would be much more satisfactory than on a wall, 
and not liable to robe each other at the roots, and interfere 
with each other in the air. Ferns are at home in the wild 
garden ; all the strong hardy kinds may be grown in it, and 
look better in it among the flowers than in the “ hardy 
Fernery” properly so called. Even more graceful than the 
Ferns, and in some cases more useful, because they send up 
their plume-like leaves very early in the year, are the giant 
Fennels (Ferula), which grow well here, and hold their own 
easily among the strongest plants. The common Fennel is 
also here, but it seeds so freely that it becomes a troublesome 
weed, and shows a tendency to overrun plants of greater 
