368 
THE ELOEAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
was covered with the Irish ivy. It was simply like a great isolated 
niche, not deep, and with no sides, so that the light could play on 
the inside nearly as well as on the outside ; the glistening verdure of 
the ivy was as pretty inside as outside, as the thing was placed in a 
position where it caught every ray of sun. It formed a most agree- 
able bower at a season when such things are rarely resorted to. 
Of course, many of the beautifully marked kinds may be trained 
in like manner. Indeed, the various variegated ivies will soon be- 
come indispensable to the good garden of hardy plants ; they are so 
nice for walls, trellises, or even for edgings in not a few cases. But 
however pretty the marked kinds may be, they can in no degree com- 
pete with the common Irish ivy as a rich green covering. Our true 
plan of dealing with them will be found to be in employing the best 
forms sparsely among the green kinds, or among other green plants. 
To meet with a good variegated form now and then amidst glistening 
green is charming ; to plant a great number of them together for the 
mere sake of the collection is a mistake. To allow the ivy to trail 
over rough mounds, etc., is a favourite plan of ours, and we have 
even found it desirable to make mounds for this purpose in a pictu- 
resque pleasure-ground — planting specimens of yucca over the 
ground-work of ivy, and allowing a nice tuft of a variegated sort to 
fall here and there over a stone, or near the edge, so that it might 
be well seen amongst the mass. 
The next plants to which we have to call attention are the hardy 
Aristolochia sipho and A. tomentosa. Here are two capital plants for 
bowers, or for covering any surface with fine and distinct leaves. 
What is so fine for covering a bower, and running up a stake so as 
to form a pyramid of distinct foliage ? One of the prettiest things 
we have ever seen was a tent or wigwam formed of Aristolochia sipho. 
In the first case, a number of long but useless branches were placed 
so as to form a frame-work, meeting at the top of course. Then 
Aristolochia sipho was planted all round, and soon it ran up to the top 
and formed a capital roof — a pleasanter wigwam you could scarcely 
see. A. tomentosa is quite a distinct species, and equally desirable 
with our old friend. Its leaves are of a yellowish tone, and slightly 
tomentose. It will prove capital as a deciduous covering for a bower 
of any kind, for forming pyramids in a varied garden, and for many 
other uses which will readily suggest themselves to the amateur who 
has once secured possession of this distinct plant. 
There are some kinds of Clematis capital for bowers ; notably 
the beautiful white C. montana, and the fragrant 0. flammuloj. The 
last is a splendid thing to grow wild over old stumps, or on wild 
banks, etc., as it diffuses a most delicious odour over the garden in 
the late autumn ; in fact, it is as valuable for this purpose at the 
end of the flowering season as the hawthorn is in May, or more so, 
for it flowers a long time. The common Clematis, G. vitalba, often 
forms picturesque sheets of vegetation, drooping from trees, etc.; 
but it should, as a rule, be confined to the rougher parts of the 
garden. We have seen one or two very charming natural arbours 
formed from this, where it grew up oak or other trees, and then fell 
down in a mass. All that had to be done was to make an opening, 
