140 THE WILD GARDEN. 
might’ seem choice positions in borders, many of the plants attain- 
ing greater beauty and remaining longer in bloom in the shade and 
shelter of shrubby places than when fully exposed. As an instance 
of this, I saw Funkia ccerulea the other day, showing a size and beauty 
in a shady drive at Beauport, near Battle, which I never saw it attain 
under other circumstances. The plant was over a yard high, and bore 
many stately stems hung with blue flowers. The Funkias are exceed- 
ingly valuable plants for the wild garden, not being liable to accidents 
which are fatal to Lilies and other plants exposed to the attacks of 
slugs and rabbits. 
Groups of Funkia Sieboldi. 
Snakes-head, Fritillaria—The beautiful British snakes-head 
(F. Meleagris) grows wild, as most people Know, in meadows in various 
parts of England, and we should like to see it as well established in 
the grassy hollows of many a country seat. Various other Fritillarias 
not so pretty as this, and of a peculiar livid dark hue, which is not 
like to make them popular in gardens, such as F. tristis, would be 
worthy of a position also ; while the Crown Imperial would do on the 
fringes of shrubberies. 
Giant Fennel, Ferula-—Noble herbaceous plants belonging to 
the parsley order, with much and exquisitely divided leaves ; when 
well developed forming magnificent tufts of verdure, reminding one 
of the most finely-cut ferns, but far larger. The leaves appear very 
early in spring, and disappear at the end of summer, and the best use 
that can be made of the plants is to plant them here and there in 
places occupied by spring and early summer flowers, among which 
