370 MY GARDE JV. 



Son plan bien sym^triqiie, ou, jamais solitaire', 



Chaque allde a sa soeur, chaque berceau son frfere ; 



Ses sentiers, ennuy^s d'obdir au cordeau, 



Son parterre brod^, son maigre filet d'eau, 



Ses buis tournds en globe, en pyramide, en vase, 



Et ses petits bergers bien guindds sur leur base. 



Laissez-le s'applaudir de son luxe mesquin ; 



Je prfeftre un champ brut k son triste jardin." — Les Jardins. ■ 



For some years past Ferns and Ferneries have been much admired, 

 and have received great attention from amateur cultivators ; and with 

 good reason, as their graceful forms are most attractive, their mode of 

 growth interesting, and the colour of their fronds enchanting. Ferns 

 should be grown by themselves, and not mixed with other plants, for 

 several reasons, the principal being the necessity of a special situation 

 for them, and their dislike to be interfered with. However, the 

 Rhododendron, and especially the scarlet varieties of it, may be planted 

 along with ferns as a fitting accompaniment ; a climbing rose growing 

 wild, or a single-flowering scarlet thorn, may also be employed with 

 advantage. Before the fronds shoot out in spring I like to see the 

 ground, in large patches, covered with masses of primroses at one spot, 

 masses of snowdrops at another, masses of the wild oxalis at a third, 

 and at other places carpeted with the wild hyacinth. It is not usual 

 for me to mix these flowers together, as masses of colour, such as these 

 flowers afford in their native woods, give variety to the scenery of 

 the garden. 



I have five outdoor ferneries and one indoor fernery. As a general 

 rule, I think it advisable that they should be arranged below the 

 level of the ground, and in a spot capable of drainage, as a uniform 

 moisture to the roots is thus ensured. In a natural state, wherever we 

 see ferns growing luxuriantly, there a bank of earth rises above them, 

 so that the roots derive continuous moisture from water percolating 

 through the soil. When this condition is reversed, and the ferns grow 

 on the top of a mound, they are apt to die from drought. Whenever 

 a stream of water can be introduced near the ferneries, it is desirable ; 

 ferns suffer no harm, but on the contrary derive great benefit, from 

 the roots being occasionally flooded for a few hours. 



