THE WELL-CONSIDERED GARDEN 



very fine. In these whites, and in Madame Mina 

 as well, the rich orange stigma gives a very glow- 

 ing effect as one looks down into the crocus cup. 

 As for the yellow crocuses, I never look at them if 

 I can help it! I have a few remnants of them 

 from misguided purchases of years gone by, but 

 I am always meaning to clear them out and al- 

 ways forgetting to do it till their small squat 

 flowers are gone and the track of the position of 

 the bulbs is lost. This antipathy to the yellow 

 florists' crocus, which, let me add, does not extend 

 in my case to the yellow of the species crocus, 

 may be the prejudice of ignorance, for of varieties 

 other than Cloth of Gold and Large Yellow I 

 know nothing. In these the yellow is the crude 

 yellow of the dandelion (a flower I hate with all 

 my might) ! Mr. E. A. Bowles, of Waltham 

 Cross, England, tells us that the more deHcate 

 and subtle tones of yellow are to be found in sev- 

 eral varieties of crocus species; it is to these that 

 I plan to turn my attention with great ardor 

 another season. 



Few of these species crocus do I already know 



in my own borders — only half a dozen — and 



as I beheve readers will rejoice as I have done 



in some of Mr. Bowles's enthusiastic comments 



96 



