12 
THE BOOK OF 
additional charm of an infinite variety, it is clear that we have 
abundant material in our native species for decorating our shady 
gardens to great advantage. Everywhere where walls or adjacent 
trees exclude the sun for the major part of the day, and especially 
where other walls or umbrageous growths “temper the wind” 
to their delicate frondage, we have conditions akin to those 
reigning in the Ferny dells aforesaid. The chief lack will probably 
be the atmospheric humidity and the moisture in the soil which 
characterises the Fern paradise proper ; but even in this respect 
the season must be dry indeed when established Fern plants cannot 
hold their own in shady aspects, and the Fern lover would be but 
a poor wooer who would not take the trouble to remedy a possible 
lack by judicious watering. In this connection, however, we 
much deprecate the lavish use of the hose, since frequent watering 
overhead is apt to do damage, and it is much better to apply the 
water to the soil alone and leave the more congenial, because 
usually warmer raindrops to give the bath, which after dusty and 
dry weather is certainly beneficial. Another point in this respect 
is that many of the best varieties bear very heavy and dense 
tassels, which when suddenly saturated with water become too 
heavy for the stalks to sustain, and consequently breakage results, 
which even a heavy thunder shower would be less likely to cause, 
since the addition, after all, is by a few di ops at a time, and does 
not resemble the sudden and violent drenching imparted by the 
use of a hose or watering-can. 
Elsewhere we have g.ven a few hints as to the formation of 
rockeries, which undoubtedly imitate natural conditions better 
than the ordinary flat garden beds ; it is not, however, absolutely 
essential to take this trouble, and we have seen very beautiful 
collections planted out under a north wall under such conditions 
and doing capitally. We have, indeed, in our mind’s eye an entire 
garden, laid out in prettily shaped beds, which was a perfect 
picture throughout the summer, though it contained not a single 
flowering plant, its occupants being entirely hardy Fern varieties, 
judiciously selected as regards size and habit, and planted out at 
such distances that each had plenty of elbow room and scope for 
displaying its full character. This, indeed, is one of the secrets 
of artistic success ; in the vast majority of cases plants are far 
too much crowded to admit of their individual charms being fairly 
developed and seen. It is, however, by no means necessary to 
confine these shady or half-shady spots to Ferns alone, they can 
be associated with advantage with many of the earlier spring 
bulbs, such as Scillas, Chionodoxa, Winter Aconites, Tulips, 
and such of the Daffodil family as do not retain their foliage 
too far into the growing season of the Ferns. In this way 
much of the bareness of the early spring among the deciduous 
