My Garden in Spring 



Boyd tells me it behaves similarly with him after removal, 

 but after a season or two repays patience with pure gold. 



Green Snowdrops suggest the dyed atrocities seen in 

 continental flower-markets, and even our own streets at 

 times, whose unopened buds have been placed in ink 

 instead of water, and so forced to drink up the dye and 

 fill their vessels with gaudy hues foreign to their nature. 

 But several Snowdrops have chosen to add to their 

 greenness by natural means. One of these is a charming 

 little plant. It appeared in the Vienna Botanical Garden, 

 and from thence travelled into Max Leichtlin's garden at 

 Baden Baden, that wonderful centre of distribution for 

 rare plants which, alas ! is now a thing of the past. It is 

 said that he sent two bulbs to England, one to Mr. 

 Harpur-Crewe, the other to Mr. Allen, and I believe all 

 that exist over here now are descendants of that brace 

 of bulbs. It is known as virescens, and thought to be a 

 variety of G. caucasicus, though except that it flowers very 

 late in the season it has no character that I can recog- 

 nise as connecting it with that tall Russian. It is a very 

 dwarf form, with glaucous leaves and stem, and the outer 

 segments of the flower are striped from their junction 

 with the ovary for two-thirds of their length with a 

 delicate duck's-egg green, and the inner segments are 

 wholly green, except for a narrow white margin that 

 gives a delightful finish and charm to a very lovely 

 flower. Better known is a very curious freak form of G. 

 nivalis, which was found in a wood in Western Prussia 

 and named G. Scharlokii by Prof. Caspary of Konigsberg 

 after its discoverer. Its claim to greenness rests in a 

 patch of short green strips on the tips of the outer seg- 

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