56 THE CHRONICLES OF A CxAEDEX. 



look well in saucers of clamp moss ; but I have seen 

 another pretty way of arranging them in a flower-basket, 

 in imitation of a grass plot with beds in it. The tin case 

 with which these flower-baskets are lined is filled with 

 damp sand; over this a piece of turf is laid, small holes 

 being cut into it to allow of the flowers being stuck into 

 the sand. Small bunches of violets, primroses, and snow- 

 drops have a very pretty effect in this toy garden ; crocuses 

 do not suit so well, as the warmth of the room makes 

 them expand too much ; indeed this tendency renders them 

 unsuited for nosegays, although their lovely colour and 

 early blooming make it irresistible to bring them indoors 

 as ornaments to the drawing-room. 



Hyacinths, in water or in pots, are certainly one of our 

 spring pleasures, from the first watching the roots sprout- 

 ing and the bud swelling uj) to the full enjoyment of the 

 beauty and fragrance of the flower. Out of doors there 

 cannot be the same enjoyment of them ; but a bed of com- 

 mon hyacinths, not too fine to be gathered, is a great addi- 

 tion to the stock of flowers for spring nosegays. Common 

 anemones ought to be in profusion in the garden ; the 

 variety of their colours makes each patch of these pretty 

 flowers like a mingled flower-bed, while the finer double- 

 kinds and the ranunculus require more careful culture and 

 separate beds. These "wind-flowers," as they are called, 

 flourish readily, and are all pretty, from the Anemone lior- 

 tensis down to the lovely little A. nemorosa of our woods. 

 This last species is sometimes cultivated as a double flower, 

 and few things are prettier than its little white rosettes ; but 



