132 THE GLORY OF THE GARDEN 



(February 2), when her image was removed from 

 the altar and snowdrops strewed in its place. 



To the Madonna, in her capacity of Queen of 

 Heaven, were dedicated the almond, the white 

 iris, the white lily, and the narcissus, all appropriate 

 to the Annunciation (March 25). 



The lily, and white and red roses, were assigned 

 to the Visitation (July 2), flowers typical of the 

 love and purity of the Virgin Mother. 



To the Feast of the Assumption (August 15) 

 is assigned the Virgin's Bower (Clematis Jlammula), 

 and to Our Lady's Birthday (September 8) the 

 amellus {Aster amellus), and to the Conception 

 (December 8) the Arbor vitce. The Rosary of 

 the Blessed Virgin, instituted by St. Dominic, was 

 so called as the beads were formerly made of rose- 

 leaves tightly pressed into round moulds, where 

 real roses were not strung together, and thus the 

 entire chaplet was called a rosary. 



The use of the rose, during Our Lady's own 

 month of May, is in Italy a national custom. Every- 

 one has roses in the oratory or on the table all the 

 month through. " As an emblem of the Virgin, 

 the rose, both white and red, appears at a very 

 early period, and it was especially so recognised by 

 St. Dominic, when he instituted the devotion of 

 the Rosary. The prayers appear to have been 

 symbolised as roses." 



There is a story of " a lordsman who had collected 

 much goods of his lord's, and who had to pass with 

 his treasure through a wood, in which thieves were 

 waiting for him. When he entered the wood he 

 remembered that he had not that day said ' Our 

 Lady's Saulter,' and as he knelt to do so the 



