1 30 A GARDEN DIARY 



was to receive an impression of being surrounded 

 by a crowd of gigantic, lemon - coated attend- 

 ants, all standing respectfully at attention, an ex- 

 perience naturally rather trying to mere modest 

 humanity. 



There is another equally large and complacent 

 biennial, which, on account perhaps of that 

 very complacence, I find myself constantly 

 treating with the scantiest civility. It has not 

 I think quite the solid strength and impressive 

 bearing of the great mullein, but as regards 

 height, is often even more gigantesque. This is 

 the large variety of GEnothera biennis, familiar 

 to most people as CEnothera Lamarckiana, but 

 possessing no English name that I am aware of 

 beyond the generic, and not very descriptive 

 one of " Evening primrose." There are a good 

 many varieties of evening primroses in gardens, 

 both perennials and biennials, and a few true 

 species, of which missouriensis, otherwise macro- 

 carpa, is undoubtedly one of the best. Lamarck- 

 iana on the other hand is hardly a subject for the 

 garden proper. As a tenant of steep banks, of 

 rough borders ; of all sorts of half, or three- 

 quarter wild places, it has in this soil no com- 

 petitor, or only finds such competitors in the two 

 biggest of the mulleins. 



I have been trying this year the experiment 

 of planting it along both sides of the green 



