50 A GARDEN OF PLEASURE 



blossoms, and we have never been without 

 them since December, for we had them 

 under glass all January till February, when 

 we began to perceive a lilac glow among 

 the leaves in the open air. These Irises 

 bloom here at precisely the same time 

 with those of the same kind in their own 

 warm sun-steeped land. They could not 

 flower here so early but for the sheafs of 

 sheltering leaves which almost hide them 

 from sight. Few things look more charm- 

 ing for the table than the transiently per- 

 fumed iris ensata ! One evening we had 

 them arranged in knots, with mignonette 

 and sprays of lemon-scented pelargonium, 

 toned with the brown of Cryptomeria 

 elegans. One often hears a gardener's 

 arrangement of flowers reviled as stiff, or 

 garish ; yet this lovely contrast of lilac, 

 green, and brown was only a gardener's 

 nosegay ! As a decoration it might have 

 been deemed pallid, but for the presence of 

 glasses filled with deep coloured prim- 

 roses, Dog-tooth violets, and Glory of the 

 snow, all resting against the brown. The 

 tips of Cryptomeria used in this way are 



