THE WATER-GARDEN 277 



larger Water-Lilies are of the most weedlike vigour. 

 Plant them in a hamper filled with clay and manure ; 

 drop them into a still pool ; cut away the trees so that 

 they may have full sun ; and then they will grow like 

 rhubarb, and flower like French Marguerites. 



Of the yellow Water-Lilies — I am talking of Nym- 

 phaea, of course, not of the common vulgar Brandy- 

 Bottle, and its brother, Nuphar Advena, from America, 

 whose upstanding foliage is very handsome, though its 

 dull yellow globes are no better than those of luteum — 

 the panhypersebastos is marliacea Chromatella, magnificent 

 in its wealth of immense foliage, bronze green and violet, 

 doubly and trebly magnificent in its huge sulphur flowers, 

 generous in build, ample in breadth and texture of petal. 

 Flava is half-hardy, lutea is smaller ; no yellow — hardly 

 any other Nymph, approaches gigantic, splendid Chroma- 

 tella. The nearest approach is the similar colossea, largest 

 of all the race, with great blossoms of soft pale pink. 

 The American hybrid, too, William Doogiie, has the 

 same ample splendour, and a deeper shade of flesh. 



The other rosy Water-Lilies are inferior, though 

 pretty. Their tendency is to run towards thinness of 

 petal and starriness of outline. Also they are almost all 

 of frailer, smaller growth, adapted to shallower water. 

 Thus are the Laydekeri lilies, purpurea and liliacea; 

 the Carolinianas, rosea and perfecta ; odorata and odor- 

 ata carnea, and rare blushing sphaerocarpa from the far 

 North. Either a sport or a seedling of sphaerocarpa is 

 bright frail Froebelii, weak in growth, small in bloom, 

 but of a rich carmine crimson. This is a delicate little 

 treasure, — the only Water-Lily that is, — and should have 

 less depth of water and a choice place. Some of the 

 hybrids, too, have the starry thin form I cavil at in the 

 smaller pink lilies ; it mars the effectiveness of Seignour- 

 etti, ignea, flammea, Rohinsoniana, hcc.'ida — lovely, subtly- 



