46 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
is Clematis montana, when bearing its ropes of starry-white 
blossoms in late spring. Both are eminently suitable for 
clothing balustrades. See Fig. 23. 
An Early Spring-Time Feature. — Perhaps one of the 
most charming and exquisite of all modern features in garden 
beautification is that of growing colonies of early spring- 
flowering bulbs in a natural manner on grassy slopes, in turf 
under the shade of deciduous trees, in the turf of the rougher 
parts of the pleasure garden, and in the copse of woodland. 
The bulbs are simply scattered about in the suface in irregular 
patches and planted where they lie by means of a dibber, or 
better still, a special bulb planter. Here, if all goes well, the 
bulbs will continue to thrive and multiply year after year, 
provided the foliage is not removed until it has quite withered. 
Crocuses, Scillas, Snowdrops, Chionodoxas, Muscaris and 
Winter Aconites do well grown thus on grassy slopes ; 
Daffodils, May-flowering Tulips, Fritillarias and Leucojums, as 
well as those previously named, thrive under deciduous trees, 
but not under those of an evergreen nature, and all, including 
Blue-bells, equally well between shrubs in the garden, on 
banks, or in the woodland. These afford a continued succes- 
sion of blossom from February on to May. Readers interested 
in this feature should read the chapter dealing with bulbs and 
tubers. 
Waterside Beautification. — Where ponds, lakes or 
watercourses exist in a natural or artifical condition, these 
should be utilised for growing the many kinds of lovely Water 
Lilies and other aquatics described in a chapter further on in 
this volume. But even a collection of these will not suffice to 
make a beautiful feature of the garden if the margins of the 
water are not furnished with due care and taste with suitable 
vegetation. The fringe, indeed, of a water garden is of more 
artistic importance than the water and its aquatics. For 
example, such trees as the Weeping Willow, the Dwarf Birch, 
the Alder, Deciduous Cypress, Arbutus Unedo, Clethra 
canescens, Spiraeas, and Bamboos ; also the following hardy 
plants — Royal, Sensitive, Ostrich, Male and Lady Ferns, 
Funkias, Day Lilies, Japanese, Spuria, Monspur, sibirica and 
germanica Irises, Purple and Yellow Loosestrifes (Lythrums 
