182 A GARDEN OF PLEASURE 



the garden, full blown, and full of summer 

 fragrance. And tea-roses are showing 

 large firm swelling buds which look as if 

 come what might, they were resolved to 

 open. Little white blossoms shine amongst 

 the wood strawberry leaves under the 

 south windows. Ferns still are freshly 

 green : only here and there they are 

 changing colour in groups of orange, 

 russet-brown and gold. Growing among 

 the * rocks ' on the Roman Walk, a plant of 

 yellow Sysirhinchium which has flowered 

 persistently during the past six months, 

 still points with primrose yellow its narrow 

 reed-like leaves. The glory of the garden 

 is the Christmas rose. Our one great 

 healthy clump is, in the heart of it, 

 silvered all over with the promise of finer 

 bloom than it has ever been known to 

 show. It means to bloom rather earlier 

 than usual this season, and as yet has no 

 bower of fir branches built over it to 

 ward off the frost. Scarcely the least 

 tinge of red in any one of the score of 

 well opened blossoms mars as yet their 

 perfect white. 



