24 A Little Maryland Garden 
things about the daffodils. 1 was so worked 
upon by these that on the 23d of January, 
with the thermometer standing at 70°, I 
potted six large pots full of them, and set 
them in a sunny window, where they budded 
and bloomed. My note-book last winter 
says that they were just beginning to form 
buds in the garden on the 30th of March. 
But I had no consolation for my roses, I 
cannot bring them in; and my friends, like 
Job’s comforters, say they will not bloom 
at all this year. 
I must turn my attention toannuals. The 
catalogues have come, and I make lists. 
But when one has only a small garden it is 
hard to keep the lists within bounds. [I 
want mignonette for its sweet perfume, and 
asters for their late flowers, and centaureas, 
the old sweet-sultans, which all the catalogues 
agree in giving a high place among annuals. 
Then there are the always tempting, and 
often disappointing, ten-weeks stocks. I 
love them for their rich, spiced perfume, 
and lovely flowers set thick along the stem 
