My Garden in Spring 



equivalent of the egg of the Fulmar Petrel, which retains 

 much the same awful scent for years after it has been 

 blown. 



Though I began with a reference to it I have saved my 

 account of Crocus chrysanthus for the last of the Yellows 

 because it is my favourite, and also it varies into so many 

 other colours it will lead us away from the livery of 

 jealousy. In most of its forms it is one of the smaller- 

 flowered species, but it produces buds so lavishly that a 

 few corms give a solid colour-effect when in full bloom, 

 though of course this means they should be placed at the 

 edge of the border among choice and neat plants, or in 

 the rock garden. One race of chrysanthus, of which 

 more must be said later, shows promise of great increase 

 in size, and there may be a great future for my favourite if 

 size can be added to its other charms of varied colouring 

 and beauty of shape. It is what the older Crocus-lovers 

 called gourd-shaped, and would have borne the latinised 

 equivalent laganae-florus, better than the form of aureus 

 to which it was once applied. I greatly admire a gourd- 

 shaped Crocus ; it means that the throat is wide and full, 

 and the segments ample and rounded, at least at their 

 bases, so that an unopened blossom has a distinct waist 

 about two-thirds of the way down, and below that there 

 is a second swelling oval formed by the throat ; when 

 fully expanded the segments bend outwards from above 

 this waist, forming a round rather than starry flower, as 

 the segments in well-developed gourd-mimics overlap 

 well. In bud, then, we have the outline of a Pilgrim's- 

 bottle Gourd, standing on its head but not flattened 

 80 



