16 IN A GLOUCESTERSHIRE GARDEN 



about thirty years ago (chiefly at Berlin) between 

 H. guttatus and H. abschasicus ; for, though they lack 

 the pure colour of our Christmas rose, they produce 

 an abundance of really handsome flowers in the early 

 spring, and their fine foliage continues in beauty all 

 through the year. A curious thing in these hybrids 

 is that, unlike the Christmas rose, which is one of the 

 very best flowers for cutting and keeping in the house, 

 their flowers very soon fade after cutting. There have 

 been many devices tried and recommended for curing 

 this bad habit, such as splitting the flower stems, or 

 taking away the stems altogether, and letting the 

 flowers almost rest on the water; but I have tried 

 them all, and succeeded with none. 



Closely allied to the hellebores, and so closely that 

 it was formerly included among them, is the bright 

 little winter aconite, now called Eranthis hyemalis-, it 

 has the same trumpet-shaped fugacious petals, and is 

 one of the first flowers of the year. I noted the half- 

 opened bud of the aconite this year, on January 22nd, 

 and on the same day a half-opened snowdrop, but they 

 were both beaten in the race by the very lovely Iris 

 histrioides, which was fully open on January 19th, and 

 is a gem of the first water. This, then, may take rank 

 as the first flower of the year, by which I mean the 

 first of which there was no appearance before the New 



