FERNS AND WILD FLOWERS 83 



Ivy, Virginian Creeper, and some Briar Roses and Honey- 

 suckle — the latter not with the hope of flowers, but for a 

 change of foh'age. In October the brown and yellowing 

 fronds, with green and gold and red and crimson leaves 

 behind them, are splendid. Our ugly patch is now the 

 best part of the garden — the flower-beds on the turf a 

 little formal, perhaps, but always bright either with spring 

 or summer flowers. Both grass and blossoms are in clover 

 here ; they get a sideways benefit from the constant 

 spraying of the bank, and the close-cut turf grows very 

 fine and soft, keeping its greenness through the hottest 

 weather. 



Has any one noticed the beauty of the growth of fresh 

 young ' pale-green Fern-fronds, among the old dark 

 foliage ? Sometimes we secure this by leaving the Fern- 

 bank for a dry hot day or two without much water, then 

 we give it a deluge over-night. Next day new growth 

 begins to show, and the fernery, so far from being cross at 

 so much teasing, puts on its fairest smiles, and looks 

 prettier than ever. 



But one of the greatest delights of a fernery in London 

 or suburban gardens is the opportunity it gives of growing 

 wild flowers. There are so many of these one longs to 

 have, but there is no room for them. In the herbaceous 

 border they would be pulled up as weeds, and on the 

 rockery they would overgrow the other things. What 

 the dear weeds want is a place where they can rest harm- 

 less and unmolested. The outdoor fernery is their 

 Promised Land ; there they are good and happy. Many 

 a wilding has a home in ours. 



Sometimes we wonder how they get there, for gene- 

 rally they are not of our own planting. Some, of course, 

 are " stowaways " — vagrants that have travelled with 

 Fern-roots sent from far ; others may be wind or bird- 

 sown — there is no lack of bird-life in suburban gardens. 

 Any way, the weeds are welcome. Amongst the strangers 



