Plant Names 287 



certainly had the respect and love of these two old 

 ladies, who were truly Lovers of Flowers. 



I recall an objection made to Sweet-williams, by 

 some one years ago, that they were of no use or value 

 save in the garden ; that they could never be com- 

 bined in bouquets, nor did they arrange well in vases. 

 It is a place of honor, some of us believe, to be a 

 garden flower as well as a vase flower. This garden 

 was the only one I knew when a child which con- 

 tained plants of Love-lies-bleeding it had even 

 then been deemed old-fashioned and out of date. 

 And it also held a few Sunflowers, which had not then 

 had a revival of attention, and seemed as obsolete 

 as the Love-lies-bleeding. The last-named flower 

 I always disliked, a shapeless, gawky creature, de- 

 scribed in florists* catalogues and like publications as 

 " an effective plant easily attaining to a splendid form 

 bearing many plume-tufts of rich lustrous crimson." 

 It is the "immortal amarant " chosen by Milton to 

 crown the celestial beings in Paradise Lost. Poor 

 angels ! they have had many trying vagaries of 

 attire assigned to them. 



I can contribute to plant lore one fantastic notion 

 in regard to Love-lies-bleeding though I can find 

 no one who can confirm this memory of my child- 

 hood. I recall distinctly expressions of surprise 

 and regret that these two old people in Worcester 

 should retain the Love-lies-bleeding in their garden, 

 because " the house would surely be struck with 

 lightning/' Perhaps this fancy contributed to the 

 exile of the flower from gardens. 



There be those who write, and I suppose they 



