56 A GARDEN DIARY 



increasing as rapidly as any weed ; above all con- 

 tinually in flower, even, so I noticed last winter, 

 in the middle of frost and snow, and when its 

 leaves were so brittle that they snapped when 

 they were touched, like any icicle. 



My list seems to be already stretching to a 

 tolerable length, yet there are plenty of things 

 that have not yet found their way into it. Here 

 is Bocconia cordata, for instance, impossible to 

 do without in such a spot. Here are the spider- 

 worts, both blue and white. Here are various 

 spirseas, chiefly low - growing ones, such as 

 " Anthony Waterer " and palmata, the latter only 

 happy in a more or less damp place. In the 

 peat-filled hollow beyond quite a little crowd of 

 claimants rise up for notice. A good many of 

 these are now only satisfactory in the retrospect. 

 Of such are Primula japonica, and Primula rosea, 

 sorry-looking tufts of brown shreds, with no new 

 leaves as yet showing. Cypripedium spectabile 

 is in the same plight, but Hellonias bullata is 

 still green, Gentiana asclepiadea has a flower or 

 two showing, Lobelia cardinalis, both the older 

 and newer varieties, look red and happy, and 

 Schizostylis coccinea promises fairly, though it 

 never behaves with us quite as it ought to do, 

 and as I have known it behave in kindlier soils. 



Turning to the region of mere dryness, three 

 or four rough stone steps, and a ridiculous 

 little ridge, lead towards the azalea corner. 



