194 
Rustic Adornments. 
near; the common Yellow Water Lily ( Nuphar luted), called in some parts of 
England the Brandy-bottle; the great Water Plantain ( Alisma plantago ), with 
its rosy white or lilac flowers ; the Common Arrowhead ( Sagittaria sagittifolia ), 
with its very peculiar arrow-headed leaves and flesh-coloured flowers ; this is 
one of our native plants which London smoke cannot drive away. Before 
leaving this list of aquatic plants, we must mention the two Cat's Tails, 
Typha latifolia and T. angustifolia , commonly but wrongly called 
Bulrushes. 
A fern rockery is shown at the south end of the garden under the 
shady north wall (see pages 190 and 193). To form this dig a trench 
nine inches deep and fill it with draining material similar to that under 
the paths. This trench must follow the shape of the rockery shown in 
design on page 190. The compost most suitable for open-air ferns generally 
is a mixture of peat, ordinary garden loam (that taken out of the trench 
below will answer for this purpose), leaf-mould, and coarse sand, in 
about equal proportions. This compost will allow the water to percolate 
freely through it. After it is well mixed it must be made up to the 
proper shape the rockery is intended to assume in the finished state, 
with all its ins and outs and pockets for the ferns, before any of the 
“rocks” are placed upon it. Then we have what is too often overlooked 
in building a rockery, a solid mass of earth for the ferns to send their 
roots into. Any of the stony materials mentioned in the description of the 
fountain may also be used for the rockery, and in addition cork bark and 
tufa are very suitable for this purpose. The “rocks” adopted should be in 
large pieces to give a bold appearance, and be scattered over the surface in 
an irregular manner, leaving plenty of spaces between them for the ferns. 
A two-inch pipe, perforated with very fine holes on the outside only, must 
be fastened to and run the whole length of the wall. This pipe being 
connected to the fountain supply pipe and under pressure will send a 
spray all over the ferns. A two-inch valve should be fixed on the 
inlet end. 
The rockery in front of the greenhouse is for alpine and rock plants. 
These require an open position, and should be so arranged that the sun-loving 
varieties are planted on the top and south slope, whilst those requiring shade 
are on the north side. The rockery itself should be carried out on the 
same lines as the previous one. The soil most suitable is gritty loam 
and peat, about a quarter of the total amount of the latter. The watering 
