72 THE BOOK OF THE WILD GARDEN 



flowering shrubs, trees, and trailers may be grouped, 

 here skirting a many-ledged, rocky slope, offering in- 

 numerable sites for masses of dwarf plants that delight 

 in the sunlight, and anon plunging abruptly to a lower 

 level in a waterfall, ever a stream's loveliest feature, 

 below which it widens into a pool, half in sunshine 

 and half in shade, where, in the still and shallow water, 

 formed by the eddying current at the verge, Water 

 Lilies may float and flower, while in the moist soil 

 stretching away from the pool noble foliage plants may 

 luxuriate and tall Meadowsweets poise in the air their 

 drooping plumes. Passing onward with a slower flow 

 the stream broadens and divides, forming a low islet, on 

 which the larger Snowflakes droop their white bells, and 

 reflecting the bright yellow of the Marsh Marigolds that 

 fringe a damp meadow where the double Cuckoo Flowers 

 bloom and where later the Snake' s-head Fritillaries will 

 hang their white and chequered blossoms. But the possi- 

 bilities of the ideal stream-garden are endless, and need 

 not be further dilated on. 



Walks are necessities in the wild garden, but these 

 should always be of an informal character. Paths should, 

 as a rule, follow the easiest gradient, diverging from it 

 only on account of natural obstructions, such as tree- 

 trunks, rocks, or groups of shrubs. In the stream- 

 garden, however, it is not always advisable to allow the 

 path to run closely by the side of the water through its 

 entire length. In many cases the formation of the ground 

 will permit deviation from the course of the stream to 

 appear natural, and the path may leave the waterside for 

 a time to return to it again at a lower level. Often it 

 will be found desirable to carry the path upward to some 

 point of vantage from which a pretty view may be 

 obtained of a lengthened stretch of water, fittingly 

 bordered with attractive plants and trees or of a series of 

 rapids or cascades. At such a place steps may be inevit- 



