36 THE BOOK OF THE WILD GARDEN 



full. Though they do well in a peaty soil this is not a 

 necessity for them, since they may be seen spreading a 

 bright mantle over heights where peat is entirely 

 absent. The best of all the dwarf Heaths is the 

 winter flowering E. carnea with its deep rose-coloured 

 blossoms of which there is also a white variety. Other 

 pretty species are the Irish Heath, E. cinerea, the Dorset 

 Heath, E. ci/iaris, and the Bell Heather, E. Tetralix. St 

 Dabeoc's Heath, Daboecia or Menziesia po/ifo/ia, which 

 grows to a height of eighteen inches, and bears rose or 

 white flowers, is a native of the west of Ireland. A 

 breadth of the white form in full flower is one of the 

 prettiest pictures the wild garden can afford. 



Erigeron. — E. mucronatus ', the Mexican Daisy, is a 

 delightful little plant, being in bloom in the south of 

 England for nine months out of the twelve. It will 

 grow in the poorest and stoniest soil, and reproduces 

 itself freely from seed. Other pleasing dwarf species 

 are E. g/abe/lus, E. glaucus, E. grandiflorus , and E. 

 Roy lei. 



Gentiana. — The Gentianella, G. acaulis, is the most 

 commonly met with of these beautiful owers, and when 

 in full bloom there are few sights to equal the sheet of 

 deep blue that it presents. It grows best in a well- 

 drained site, planted in soil containing a large proportion 

 of limestone chips. G. verna requires porous soil, moist in 

 summer, but which allows the winter rains to percolate 

 freely through. G. asclepiadea and G. septemfida are of 

 taller growth, reaching a height of eighteen inches. 

 The former may be naturalised in the grass, and does 

 well in damp spots. 



Geum. — G. montanum, of which there is a fine variety 

 named grandiflorum, bears yellow flowers in the spring, 

 which are followed by feathery seed-vessels. G. reptans 

 is a creeping species, doing well in full sun in sandy 

 soils. It bears yellow flowers. 



