284 HOME AND GARDEN 



White Beam trees in the copse ; they were nursery 

 trees, and though common native things, they had 

 been gi*afted, after some law of nurseries that I fail 

 to understand, upon stocks of Mountain Ash. After 

 my standard White Beams had been growing a year 

 or two there was a brush-like growth of Mountain 

 Ash from the root. I therefore pulled down the 

 heads, and by degrees brought them to the ground 

 and pegged them, so as to have the White Beams 

 growing clear of the stocks. When rooted, the old 

 stem is cut clear away at both ends, and I have both 

 trees separately rooted a few yards apart. Many good 

 shrubs are easily propagated by layering, and all 

 the free-growing Roses. Indeed, by repeated layering 

 on the same side, I could make a Dundee Rambler 

 walk from one end of the garden to the other ! 



No year passes that one does not observe some 

 charmiDg combination of plants that one had not 

 intentionally put together. Even though I am always 

 trying to think of some such happy mixtures, others 

 come of themselves. This year the best of these 

 chances was a group of pale sulphur Hollyhock seen 

 against Yews that were garlanded with Clematis flam- 

 mula ; tender yellow and yellow- white and deepest 

 green ; upright spire of Hollyhock, cloud-like mass 

 of Clematis, low-toned sombre ground of solemn Yew. 

 Another good mixture is that of Crinums, tall Cannas, 

 and Funkia grandiflora. Others that I always delight 

 in are of Rosemary and China Rose, and of China 



