322 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  18,  1901. 
ROCKERY  WITH  GERANIUMS  AND  OTHER  PLAN 
NTS. 
that  are  to  be  found  in  the  place  where  carpet  bedding  or  ribbon 
borders  are  st  11  in  use.  The  pictures  here  presented  are  certainly  not 
such  as  might  be  found  in  any  formal  garden,  but  they  are  such  as 
might  be  taken  in  many  of  the  rock  gardens  of  the  present  day  of 
moderate  size,  and  where  flowers  have  their  requirements  even  more 
considered  than  garden  effects,  although  the  latter  may  often  follow 
from  a  free  use  of  the  abundant  material  afforded  by  the  wealth  of 
shrubs,  herbaceous  plants,  and  bulbs  in  which  the  alpine  grower  takes 
delight. 
The  illustration  on  this  page  shows  a  portion  of  a  rock  garden, 
in  which  may  be  seen  a  plant  of  Geranium  sauguineum  album,  a 
pretty  variety  of  the  native  Blood-red  Crane’s  Bill,  a  truly  beautiful 
flower  for  the  sunny  heights  of  the  rockery,  where  its  butterfly-like 
flowers  poised  above  the  pretty  leaves  make  a  most  delightful  effect. 
Unfortunately  the  specimen  represented  is  not  so  well  in  bloom  as 
it  should  have  beeD,  and  hardly  does  justice  to  the  true  worth  of  this 
pretty  Geranium,  which,  by  the  way,  is  of  a  looser  and  more  elegant 
habit  than  most  of  the  plants  of  the  typical  species.  A  little  further 
along  is  seen  a  mass  of  one  of  the  Muehlenbeckias,  pretty  plants  from 
the  Antipodes,  which  are  admirably  adapted  for  large  rockwork.  The 
species  seen  in  this  garden  was  the  commoner  M.  complexa,  but  better 
species  for  the  purpose  shown  are  varians  and  nana,  which  are  of  less 
rambling  habit.  The  one  shown  was  clipped  back  annually  in  spring 
to  keep  it  within  bounds,  and  it  thus  never  grew  too  large.  In  the 
foreground  are  the  leaves  of  Primula  cashmeriana,  which  did  well  in 
the  moist,  peaty  soil  of  the  small  flat  terrace  on  which  it  was  planted. 
To  the  left,  but  not  recognisable  Irom  the  indistinctness  of  the 
photograph,  were  groups  of  Anemone  ranunculoides,  a  pretty  little 
species,  somewhat  of  the  nemorosa  type,  but  with  yellow  flowers. 
The  form  pallida  is  even  prettier,  with  its  soft,  but  bright,  yellow 
blooms.  Unfortunately  the  photograph  does  not  show  in  detail  the 
various  flowers  in  bloom  when  it  was  taken,  but  one  can  discern  a  tall 
Campanula,  which  appears  to  be  C.  grandis,  on  a  high  spot  behind  the 
Geranium  ;  and  it  is  not  difficult  to  fill  in  the  picture  from  one’s 
imagination  with  Stonecrops,  Pinks,  Lychnises,  and  the  many  more 
which  come  in  midsummer  to  greet  its  sunny  days.  In  such  a  garden 
a  little  water  adds  much  to  its  attractions,  and  gives  the  gardener  a 
Wireworms. 
Certain  persons  when  they  found 
that  the  worthy  gentleman  Mr. 
Micawber  purposed  going  into  the 
Medway  coal  tiade,  concluded  at  once 
that  it  would  be  decidedly  necessary 
he  should  visit  that  agreeable  river. 
Possibly  they  were  right ;  but  I  am 
sure  I  was  justified  in  coming  to  the 
conclusion  that  when  I  purposed 
writing  something  about  the  wire- 
worm  (about  as  definite  a  pbrase  as 
if  one  were  to  say,  “  the  caterpillar  ”), 
I  had  better  make  personal  acquaint¬ 
ance  with  one.  True,  I  had  remem¬ 
brances  of  interviews  with  certain 
“  grubs,”  in  years  gone  back,  reputed 
to  be  “  wireworms,”  yet  I  could  not 
have  drawn  a  portrait  of  one  of  these  from  memory  either  with  pencil  or 
pen,  nor  did  any  notable  fact  remain  in  connection  with  the  same, 
saving  and  excepting  that  one  was  shown  to  me  by  a  gardener, 
whose  naturally  long  visage  gained  so  much  extra  length  from 
the  disgust  with  which  he  viewed  this  special  enemy,  that  had  I 
possessed  a  portable  photographic  apparatus  I  should  have  entreated 
him  to  remain  motionless,  that  I  might  secure  a  “  phiz  ”  that  was 
remarkable  if  not  admirable.  Books  are  all  very  well,  but  they  have 
their  errors.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  The  weather  precluded  country 
excursions  ;  could  a  “  wireworm  ”  be  obtained  close  at  hand  ? 
I  recollected  that  in  my  suburban  garden,  brick-surrounded  and 
smoky  as  it  is,  I  had  seen  during  the  previous  summer  indubitable 
“skip-jack”  beetles,  of  small  dimensions,  and  it  followed  as  a  natural 
inference,  that  it  would  be  by  no  means  unlikely  that  larvae  were 
feeding  not  very  far  off  from  where  imagos  had  been  seen.  Out  with 
the  spade,  drive  it  into  the  peculiar  composition  which  in  town  gardens 
we  call  mould  !  Alas  !  recent  frosts  had  rendered  the  ground  rather 
unmanageable,  and  after  some  efforts  I  fell  back  for  consolation  on 
the  “fox  and  Grapes’’  fable— there  are  no  wireworms  here,  or,  if 
there  are,  they  won’t  be  worth  the  trouble  I  am  bestowing  upon 
them. 
Deserting  the  garden  for  the  library,  I  have  reason,  nevertheless, 
for  dropping  my  design  altogether  ;  something  may  be  said  historically 
upon  the  wireworm  now,  as  this  is  the  season  of  the  year  when  in 
gardening  operations  it  is  occasionally  unearthed,  and  as  very  shortly, 
with  the  returning  warmth  of  spring,  its  ravages  will  be  more 
considerable.  At  a  future  date  some  additional  facts  may  be  appended 
regarding  this  rather  memorable  insect. 
The  wireworm  or  wireworms,  for  they  should  certainly  be  spoken 
of  in  the  plural,  though,  perhaps,  greater  enemies  to  the  agriculturist 
than  to  the  horticulturist,  exert  very  injurious  influences  in  kitchen 
gardens  during  some  seasons.  More  particularly  are  they  likely  to 
show  themselves  in  ground  which  has  been  recently  converted  from 
pasture  to  garden  ground.  And  it  is  very  necessary  to  bear  in  mind' 
that  other  creatures  besides  the  Elater  larvae  have  been,  and  still  are, 
designated  by  this  name.  Millipedes  and  centipedes  have  been  called 
wireworm8,  and  also  the  larvae  of  some  of  the  Tipulae. 
A  Persistent  Garden  Pest. 
Some  Peeps  in  Rock  Gardens. 
Some  gardens  are  oppressively  trim  and  tidy,  others  are  wild  and 
free,  yet  if  vre  see  that  plants  can  show  their  beauty,  and  that  their 
owners  love  them,  we  care  little  whether  or  no  the  gardens  are  quite 
to  our  tastes  ;  we  can  enjoy  what  beauties  they  have.  When  we 
visit  a  rock  garden,  however,  we  do  not  expect  to  find  straight  lines, 
carefully  dotted  and  trained  plants,  and  all  the  evidences  of  tidiness 
better  oppoitunity  of  growing  many  moisture-loving  plants.  Tn© 
views  here  shown  are  from  different  gardens,  but  each  will  give  some 
idea  of  the  means  by  which  a  little  tank  or  pool  may  be  made  to 
minister  to  its  owner’s  enjoyment  of  his  domain. 
In  the  figure  on  bottom  of  page  323  we  have  a  little  artificial  tank, 
floating  placidly  on  which  are  the  leaves  of  a  Nymphaea;  from  among 
these  a  few  buds  protrude  and  show  colour.  The  best  of  the  Nymphaeas 
for  such  a  tank  are  these  of  the  Laydtkeri  type,  such  as  rosei  or 
lilacina ;  N.  pygmaea,  with  its  charming  form  Helvola,  and  such  new 
things  as  Ellisiana,  a  very  'ovely  Water  Lily.  Beyond  the  Water  Lily 
are  the  leaves  of  Iris  aurea,  which, 
unfortunately,  grows  too  rapidly 
when  in  water  for  so  small  a  tank. 
To  the  left  of  it,  and  planted  on  wet 
soil,  is  a  clump  of  Iris  germanica, 
with  a  dense  -  growing  form  of 
Rodgersia  podophylla  close  in  front. 
The  plant  in  tront  with  narrow  Iris¬ 
like  leaves  is  Butomus  umbellatus, 
the  Flowering  Rush  or  Water  Gladiole. 
It  delights  in  such  a  position. — 
S.  Arnqtt. 
