18 A GARDEN OF PLEASURE 



patch of Guernsey lilies grow and thrive. 

 When I am absent at the time of their flower- 

 ing, a box containing one or two blooms, 

 most beautifully pink, is sure to reach me 

 wherever I may be. In the small Propa- 

 gating House near by, Dendrobium nobilis 

 is richly flowering. I believe this dend- 

 robium to be the oldest variety known in 

 England, and our plant has flourished with 

 us for well nigh forty years, having accom- 

 panied us from the old Somerset home. 

 Beside it in delicious contrast, are many 

 clusters of amber-fringed D. fimbriata. 

 The vitality of Nobilis is so strong, that 

 the flower will survive without water, or 

 even worn as a ' button-hole * for almost 

 the whole length of a day. There is an 

 interesting young tree in a small pot in 

 this house, an infant Dragon Tree. It is 

 a seedling from Tenerife, where, till lately, 

 lived that ancient Dragon, recorded to 

 have seen at least two thousand years. 

 They tell me that in about a century, our 

 specimen may have attained the height of 

 four feet. Where shall all we be then ? 

 The most interesting inhabitant of this 



