OF ODD TREASURES 145 
Jerusalem Cowslip of cottage gardens I even dislike, with 
its liverish-looking leaves, and its feeble, purply-red 
Howers. But the unspotted variety, azwrea, with deep 
sky-blue flowers, is beautiful; and so is our own very 
rare native Pulmonaria angustifolia, which I collected 
years ago in Dorsetshire woods—a plant of slight growth, 
with narrow, spotted foliage and large flowers of a very 
rich pure sapphire. ‘Then there is a pretty blue- 
flowered arvernensis, and a white variety which is small- 
blossomed and dowdy in effect ; while Pulmonaria rubra, 
despite the real charm and brilliancy of its rosy bells, 
must be looked after and frequently divided if it is to be 
kept floriferous and showy. And, even so, it has rather 
too much leaf as compared with the flowers. However, 
it is very pretty, and all the Pulmonarias bloom while the 
garden is still rather dead and sere; so, for this, as well 
as for their invariable good temper, we must love and 
cherish them, as well as two near relatives of theirs, 
Cynoglossum apenninum and Cynoglossum pictum, with 
showers of bright blossom, sound, sturdy growers for a 
backward corner, where such splendid things as the 
Dropmore variety of the Italian Anchusa can be put. 
Of all inconsiderable and dowdy weeds the Fig-worts 
are the least worthy to give their name to a very large 
race, which, while it is more generous in larger than in 
small plants, is yet of great importance in the rock-garden ; 
for, though, setting aside Linaria, Pentstemon, and 
Veronica, there are no big clans of brilliant plants among 
the Scrophularinae, yet there are a certain number of 
valuable species cropping up here and there by themselves. 
Otherwise this Order leads worthily on to the dull desola- 
tion of Labiatae, though I know this is an unpopular 
view to take, and that nowadays it is good form to say 
that all plants are lovely, and that Nature can never be 
either dull or plain. However, one must abide by one’s 
K 
