FEBRUARY 



"Out of the snow the Snowdrops, 

 Out of Death comes Life." 



David Gray. 



Heralds of ~^ TRICTLY speaking, February belongs to the Winter 

 Spring" ^^ months, but when it grants us mild sunny days, and 

 we feel the life stirring in the garden around us, and 

 the first flowers begin to bloom, our thoughts turn to the 

 delights of Spring, looking forward with happy anticipation to 

 the wonderful succession of beauty which the year is to bring us 

 in our gardens. We forget for a time that long spells of East 

 wind are sure to follow, that the moist earth will again be 

 hard as iron, and all vegetation suspend its growth. This year 

 the heralds of Spring are later than usual. Anemone Blanda, 

 which often cheers us early in January by the sight of its bent 

 stalks and blue tips forcing their way through the ground, now 

 on February 1 8th is hardly showing. It has been a mild winter 

 too, only one spell of hard frost which lasted about a week, but 

 the sun has refused to shine, and rain has fallen almost in- 

 cessantly. 



Snowdrops undoubtedly bring the first real effect of the 

 year. They are in perfection now in a neighbouring garden, 

 and seem to have taken entire possession of a wood. There 

 must be millions of them, single and double, long stalks 

 holding their graceful bells, and making lovely sheets of 

 glistening white through the rich warm brown of last year's 

 leaves. They seem to grow equally well under the fine old 

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