of these varieties can easily be raised from seed it should be May. 

 sown in a pan and kept in a shady place till the seedlings are Some 

 big enough to prick out. Climbing 



As the border of common Flag begins to lose its beauty two pi an t s 

 other early kinds come out in the walled garden, a white and 

 a deep violet purple, and by accident Darwin Tulips in queer 

 mauve shades and Coquette de Poissy Pansy are growing close 

 by, making a pleasant harmony of colour. Doronicum plant a- 

 gineum excelsum is an extremely useful and gay herbaceous 

 plant ; it will grow almost anywhere and can be counted on to 

 give an effect of brilliant yellow for several weeks. Its tall 

 daisy-like flowers and bright green leaves make a pleasant 

 contrast to the Tulips which flower with it. It can be in- 

 creased to any amount by division, and thrives best in a moist 

 but sunny situation. 



Some of the most luxuriant creepers are now beginning to 

 wreath unsightly places with beauty. Eccromocarpus scaber 

 and Ceanothus Veitchii are out on the east side of the house, the 

 orange and soft real blue looking delicious together ; the former 

 is a most useful half-hardy evergreen climber easily raised from 

 seed ; with us it does well through any ordinary Winter, growing 

 30 feet up the house and seeding itself. There is now a pink 

 form which is very pretty. Clematis Montana grows here in 

 the most rampant fashion, garlanding itself with white from the 

 ground to the roof of the house, and doing equally well on a 

 south exposure or a north one. It is beautiful if grown so that 

 it may fall in a shower of white down a Yew hedge, or trained 

 up one side of a wall and allowed to form a cascade down the 

 other ; it will work its way up through the shade even of ever- 

 greens, and when it reaches the light will clothe some bare tree 



55 



