HARDY WATER AND BOG PLANTS. 



387 



half-way down the slope of a hill, at the foot of a bed of gravel. 

 It was treacherous walking to reach the little bed of Sundew, and 

 the one difficulty in forming the garden was to make suitable 

 paths. This slight difficulty was overcome by firmly driving in 

 posts, and resting some long split trees on them ; the split branches 

 of the same trees were then nailed crosswise, thus forming what 

 the Americans call a " corduroy" path. The top black soil was 

 ■cleared away until we reached the clay or watery sand (in which 

 was found an old Oak trunk fast passing into bog oak). The 

 whole was then arranged in terrace beds by means of clay banks, 

 on the top of which ran the corduroy paths. The water after 

 use in the top beds was led in pipes through these clay banks to 

 the next lower beds, and so onwards, varying the quantity of water 

 according to the amount of moisture required in each bed. 



A small pond, in which the Cape Pondweed nourishes, was 

 made, and from it the water not required for the lower beds, 

 flowed into a narrow watercourse, along the sides of which, 

 with their roots in the water, Kaempfer's Iris blossoms well. 

 The highest bed is the wettest owing to the spongy water-spring, 

 and just at this point the variegated Iris pseudacorus luxuriated. 

 Other mud-plants used were some varieties of Caltha or Marsh 

 Marigold, which for nearly a month are sheets of yellow blossom ; 

 the variety in this family is more noticeable from the time of 

 blooming than from the shape and variation of the flowers. On 

 the sloping bank, above this bed, are naturalised masses of the 

 beautiful Fern Hypolejns millefolium, while Lily-of-the-valley, 

 which had originally grown on the bank, is preserved in situ ; 

 the Blood-root, the Musk and Creeping Jenny, both famous 

 London window-plants, the native Club-moss {Lycopodiimi 

 ■clavatum), two or three British kinds from Westmoreland, and 

 the Alpine Blackberry (Rubus arcticus), which fruits, it is said, 

 beneath the snow of the Arctic regions, were added. 



Some curious instances of the travelling powers of plants 

 have also occurred. From the drier part of this bed the Iris 

 moved down into the water of the pond, whilst the Trollius, or 

 Globe Flower, and the American Fern, Onoclea seiisibilis, have 

 gradually moved up on to the drier bank above. 



The two next beds on a lower level were planted with the 

 North American Pitcher or Side-saddle Plants, Sarracejiia pur- 

 purea, S. Drummondii, and S. flava. The purple variety soon 



