278 ALPINES AND BOG-PLANTS 



coloured things that they are, in shades of fire, rose, 

 dawn and cream. But among red Nymphaeas there are 

 three glorious plants. The first is WiUiam Falconer, an 

 American, small in growth, and not enormous in flower ; 

 but the plant is very free and very healthy ; the flowers 

 are of the deepest crimson purple that has yet been seen 

 in the family. Ellidana is a larger plant, with flowers of 

 a fine blood -crimson ; the pride of the three, if not of the 

 whole family, is gloriosa, a giant only less than Chroma- 

 tella in growth, with immense abundant flowers of a 

 dazzling carmine crimson. 



For my own part I should be inclined to suggest omit- 

 ting all the minor Water-Lilies, the Laydekeris, Caroli- 

 nianas, and so forth (except the charming little miniature, 

 Helvola, for shallow water), and concentrating simply on 

 the best, the largest in growth, the freest in flower, the 

 finest in build and in substance. For, truth to tell, the 

 minor Water-Lilies,however lucent in colouring, are, to my 

 taste, mean and poor in shape. Therefore I would, space 

 being limited, grow only, for the smaller sorts in shallower 

 water, Helvola, William Falconer, and Froebelii ; for 

 the full depths, William Doogue, Richardsoni, gigantea, 

 colossea, Chromatella, and gloriosa. For you would miss 

 nothing good, and, as the less is included in the greater, 

 have at your disposal all the glory of the Water-Lilies. 

 And a glory it is. They have a perverse habit, in my 

 pools, of opening in the late afternoon of a dull day; 

 and to go round, in a dank dripping world, and come 

 suddenly on the glowing crimson goblets of Nymphaea 

 gloriosa or Chromatella, expanded among their marbled 

 bronzy leaves, and mirrored flawlessly in the cold, brown 

 water, is one of the garden's most welcome surprises. 

 But when, oh ! when shall we, to complete our collections, 

 have a big blue brother to gloriosa and Chromatella, 

 a hardy celestial offspring of sctitellata or zanzibarensis ? 



