ioo WOMEN-GARDENERS 



of Lonicera fragrantissima is out, showing creamy- 

 white against one of the pale-blue, wooden pillars 

 that support a roofed-in garden. All these are 

 plants which we in the south are fortunate in pos- 

 sessing, and which friends who come from the 

 Midlands cast envious glances at, for they can 

 only grow them under forced conditions or in cold 

 greenhouses. Then, too, springing out of the 

 grass lawn the Fair Maids of February are all 

 standing waiting to be looked at in their usual 

 home beneath a row of dark-green Irish yews that 

 outlines the house terrace. The German name of 

 SchneeglQckchen is descriptive and full of that love 

 for childish fancies which we once connected so 

 intimately with the German mind but shall never 

 connect with it again. The old-fashioned English 

 name for them is most pleasing, and precocious 

 warmth that succeeds the storms shows them early 

 heralds of spring days. 



Knowing well the peculiarities of local climate, 

 for these lessons have been learnt in previous years 

 and are not easily forgotten, we are able when 

 storms come to protect the garden from excessive 

 damage. We have, for instance, an invention for 

 preventing the best pergolas from being razed to 

 the ground. The garden lights are held down by 

 having thick cords stretched across them, and these 

 are tied round heavy sticks or cumbersome stones 

 which rest heavily near the sides of the frames, 

 thus making it impossible for the wind to get in 

 under the woodwork and lift the lights. Our big 

 Italian orange pots used formerly to fall over 

 with a crash, owing to the strength of the gale 



