GROUPING AND MASSING HARDY PLANTS, 



235 



order and yet it is possible to work at it when- 

 ever one feels inclined, adding a touch here, 

 a group of fresh plants there — a mossy stone 

 found in some country ramble — or a scattering 

 of new bulbs when autumn comes round. For 

 dealing with the more distant parts of pleasure- 

 gardens, for those of poor soil difficult to work, 

 or where there is neither time or convenience 

 for trim culture, there is no better system ; in 

 fact, with seasons so uncertain as ours it is the 

 system best from every point of view. Of the 

 bits of ground I have seen thus restored one of 

 the most typical formed the half-wild approach 

 to a house built on a lofty brow, too far from it 

 to require the trim outline of the kept-garden, 

 and yet in full view of all-comers. In the hill- 

 side a quarry had been cut, and abandoned just 

 long enough for Nature to heal theworst scars, 

 and it formed when I saw it a beautiful shel- 

 tered dell. A good deal of rough work, break- 

 ingand bringingsoil, draining, and carting,had 

 to be done as a preliminary, a winding road 

 made, and at the same time water was laid on, 

 but all the wild growth of any value carefully 

 retained. The whole was then carpeted with 

 verdure of some sort ; in damp corners sheets 

 of Moss, of Creeping Jenny, and of White 

 Cup Narcissus. In drier places broad irregular 

 patches of Ivies (avoiding the heavier and more 

 sombre varieties) ; of the variegated Dead Net- 

 tle {Lamium maculatuni) ; or the Lesser Peri- 

 winkle, ranged in thousands, patches of the 

 white kind relieving the sheets of blue. Grass 

 was allowed between to vary and unite the 

 whole, and only cut from time to time when 

 too rank. This ground-work was broken by 

 natural rocks where possible, or beautifully 

 weathered fragments placed as carefully as any 

 plant. It is surprising what art there is in 

 choosing and so placing stones as to appear 

 quite natural. The grouping of plants is a work 

 of time, as ideas suggest themselves to the ima- 

 gination, butit canbedone atleisure when once 

 the foundation is set. In the background, or to 

 vary the low trailers, were dense clusters of such 

 things as Solomon's Seal {Polygonaturn), Fox- 

 gloves, Columbines, the Japanese Windflower 

 [Anemone japonica), and in dry places clumps of 

 Furze and Ling, with broad clusters of Heather 

 — such as Erica carnea, cinerea, and mediter- 

 ranea — in between. Touches of bright colour, 

 according toseason,weresuppliedby Honesty, 



both dark purple and white, grown in masses 

 in shady nooks ; Campanulas in many sorts, and 

 that little irrepressible Corydalis lutea, in the 

 moister parts, with Brooms in variety, or scat- 

 tered groups of Scarlet Geum put in around 

 rocks for the high lights of the picture. The 

 greater part of this background half-shaded 

 from May onwards with stems of Bracken, 

 sheltering thousands of Primroses, Hepaticas, 

 Lily of the Valley, Grape Hyacinths, Snow- 

 drops, and hardy Cyclamen — their beauty past, 

 and grateful for the partial shade. The fore- 

 ground was set with sheets of low-growing 

 bulbs and perennials ; here scattered thousands 

 of the Spring Star Flower (Trite/eia), or masses 

 of Winter Aconite and the Siberian Scilla. As 

 a succession to this early blue-flowered gem 

 were masses of the deep blue Wood Hyacinth, 

 and the delicate pale blue Italian Scilla. Very 

 dry places round stones bore either Stonecrop, 

 tufts of silvery Dianthus, or the Mourning 

 Shamrock, the dark ruddy patches good in 

 effect against the lichen-covered stones. In bet- 

 ter soil Oxalis floribunda gave a spread of pink 

 or white, or 0. Valdiviana a copper-yellow hue. 

 Here and there as though astray were hardy 

 forms of the Thistle family, such as the blotched 

 Galactites, the Fish-bone Thistle, and Garlina 

 acau/is, and some of the Mulleins and Sea Hol- 

 lies, their rosettes of foliage, grey, spiny, and 

 bold, a good addition to the effect. Daffodils 

 and Anemones of sorts each came in their turn, 

 the Italian Windflower [A. appennind) telling 

 in quantity whether blue or white, and the 

 Scarlet Anemone useful at times for a glowing 

 touch. Nor were the Iris forgotten, one of the 

 dainty pictures in early spring being a clump 

 of the Persian Iris, sheltered from frost by arch- 

 ing evergreens in a sunny corner shared with a 

 colony of the Giant Scilla (S. peruviana), and 

 the lovely Flowering Rush [Aphyllanthes). The 

 list might be extended, but enough has been 

 said to indicate the choice of easily grown plants 

 at command, and each can vary and adapt it at 

 will. 



The routine work in such a garden is limi- 

 ted to the removal of things likely to be trouble- 

 some — harmless or good wild plants should be 

 encouraged ; watering during dry weather, best 

 done — when water can be laid on — by placing 

 a hose with spreader attached and changing its 

 direction when things have had a good soaking; 



