CHAPTER XII 



THE CHRISTMAS GARDEN 



December is not dreary in the well-managed garden, Dec. 

 but it is sometimes a month of marking time. There 

 can be no dreariness when a ramble round the garden 

 reveals many pleasant and interesting sights : — A clump 

 of stainless Christmas Roses in full beauty, a bright little 

 colony of hardy Cyclamens, a glowing patch of scarlet 

 " Winter Gladiolus " {Schizostylis coccined) ; when the 

 turned-back fibre reveals plump, green crowns on 

 the plunged Hyacinths ; when, in mild spells, flowers 

 appear on the Primroses, the Winter Jasmine, the Winter 

 Honeysuckle, and the perfumed Allspice {Chimonanthus 

 fragrans). 



There is cheerfulness, too, in the berries of the ever- 

 greens. Pleasure is derived from the sight of neatly- 

 dug borders, well-staked trees, securely-planted Roses, 

 fruit and shrubs, smooth, trim lawns, neatly-trained trees 

 on pergolas, walls, and vineries. 



All this is possible without glass. With greenhouses 

 there will be the delight of abundance of fragrant 

 flowers: Primulas, Cyclamens, Star Cinerarias, Zonal 

 Geraniums, Freesias, Camellias, and many other beauti- 

 ful things. 



The no-glass gardener will be able to mark time if 



his winter work is " forward " — if his Roses, trees, and 



shrubs are planted, his beds filled, his borders trimmed 



up and dug, his pruning completed, and the vacant 



391 



