THE WATER-GARDEN 275 



With a pool of two feet depth any one may hope in rich 

 deep soil to have blooming beds of Calla ethioplca, per- 

 fectly hardy as the plant is — or rather becomes, if its 

 roots are planted in water beyond reach of any but an 

 extraordinary frost. 



In the south and west of England indeed the Calla has 

 become a water-weed, blooming by the acre ; and there 

 is no sort of reason why, in any fairly clement part of 

 England, the same gorgeous result could not be achieved. 

 But the Calla must be planted in a broad sweep^and I have 

 not had space enough so far to deal with it massively by 

 the hundred yards. As an isolated crown I flowered it 

 well and enjoyed it for several seasons in my old pond. 

 But this was so ridiculously shallow that it froze solid and 

 cracked every winter. After three such experiences the 

 Calla grew peevish and expired. Now, however, that I 

 am restoring the pool on a proper scale, I shall renew 

 my experiments with the Arum, and hope for finer and 

 more permanent results, even though my pond is not 

 large enough for it to be used as freely as it should, to 

 gain its full effect. 



Two other important plants are Aponogeton and Buto- 

 mus umbellatus. The Flowering Rush loves shallow, 

 sluggish water, and is found by streams and canals all 

 England over — in appearance a big lax-leaved rush, until 

 you see, on tail stems, its flattened heads of large pale pink 

 flowers. This flourishes in any water not too deep, and 

 its only drawback is its tendency to become a weed. A 

 fortiori the same applies to the giant Bulrush, magnificent 

 as it is, and to pretty, flufiy-balled Sparganium ramosum, 

 and to the great Dock, one of the handsomest of foliage 

 plants, no matter what exotic rivals you may adduce. 

 Much slenderer, and safe to admit, though, is Typha minor. 

 The lesser Bulrush is far slighter and more graceful than 

 its major — a fine gracious thing, sufficiently rampant in 



