144 IN A GLOUCESTERSHIRE GARDEN 



a very pleasant part of gardening, though it sometimes 

 requires much study to determine accurately the right 

 name. 1 The study of plant names is by itself most 

 interesting, and leads to much unexpected information. 

 But for the good naming, some sort of label is neces- 

 sary, and what is the best form of label is still an 

 open question. I dislike wooden labels of all sorts 

 they are all too conspicuous, and for private gardens 

 the label should be as little conspicuous as possible; 

 in a public botanic garden they should be large, easily 

 seen, and easily read. Here I have for many years 

 used a cast-iron tally with a T-shaped head. This 

 head is painted white, and when required for use has 

 a thin coating of black quick-drying paint (Aspinall's 

 paints do very well for the purpose), through which 

 the name is written with any sharp-pointed instrument. 

 The tally is almost invisible a few yards off, but the name 

 can be read easily without taking it out of the ground. 



I have now gone round the calendar, and my garden 

 record is at an end. I have not attempted to give a 

 complete list of all the flowers that can be gathered in 

 each month ; my object has rather been to show that 

 there is no month in the year in which some, or indeed 



1 This study has now (1896) been made much easier by the com- 

 pletion of the Index Kewensis, 



