INCLOSURES 193 



Within the fence or wall or hedge which protected 

 the garden, lesser hedges set each thing apart and pre- 

 served the integrity of both the beds and walks. And 

 for these little hedges — or edgings — ^rnany things were 

 used. Boxwood and thrift, or sea gilliflower, were 

 the first choice, different though they are. The former 

 was useful of course where the latter was not. Scarlet 

 thrift was pronounced the best. Then there were 

 daisies — these the bellis, not the leucanthemum — 

 pinks, chamomile, London pride and catchfly, all much 

 used. These pinks were the sweet and spicy grass or 

 Scotch pinks which some call pheasant's-eye — Dian- 

 thus plumarius. The ancient chamomile — Anthemis 

 nobilis — is with us still, and found, too, as a weed 

 sometimes, escaped from the old gardens; London 

 pride rejoices us with other names and quainter, 

 for this little Saxifraga umbrosa is none other than the 

 "Nancy pretty," which it is altogether impossible to dis- 

 entangle from "none-so-pretty" sufficiently to find out 

 which is the careless form of the other. And I for 

 one am glad 'tis so — for now we may keep them both. 



The catchfly, listed as a perennial, was presumably 

 Silene inflata, this being the bladder catchfly, bladder 

 campion, cow bell or white Ben, whose shoots are 

 sometimes used as a green in England. Of annuals 

 there were several. Dwarf Virgin stocks were said to 

 be the most suitable of all because they are low and 



