Anemone had our first tubers many years ago, they were planted under 

 blanda the east and west walls of the kitchen garden and took to us in 

 the kindest way. Facing west they are always two or three 

 weeks earlier than those with an eastern aspect, generally be- 

 ginning to flower in January and reaching their full beauty in 

 March. Both seed freely, and have increased so much that 

 we have been able to try naturalising them under trees and 

 in the grass. A piece of ground was well cleared on the south 

 side of an old Yew and the Anemones put in with a clump or 

 two of Daffodil cernuus, the early soft cream-white one 

 which is so delicate it wants some colour to show it up. This 

 year the bed has been quite beautiful ; the ground and even 

 their own green were quite hidden with the large starry flowers, 

 set close together, all turning their eyes to the sun, and in 

 every shade of blue, from a pale one almost grey to a real deep 

 azure. The loveliest variety of all has a clear white ring round 

 the base of the petals. The bed has the great merit of re- 

 taining its beauty for several weeks the flowers saving them- 

 selves by shutting every night and only opening on dry days. 

 We are trying them too in the rough grass into which our 

 lawn merges. It would be delightful if the blue stars could be 

 scattered there as the mauve-pink ones are in the Italian fields, 

 but with us that plan does not answer as the grass is too coarse, 

 forming a mass of roots half a foot deep. The only plan when 

 starting a colony of some fresh flower is to clear the ground 

 completely and carpet it with some small-rooted green plant. 

 Ornitbogalum umbellatum and nutans might be used to succeed 

 the fading Anemones. The former might perhaps struggle 

 successfully in the grass itself certainly in the meadows above 

 Como it is almost as common as Daisies; on grey days 

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