80 IN A GLOUCESTERSHIRE GARDEN 



The drought of that year was also very favourable 

 to all that large tribe of plants which many people 

 despise, and lump them all as ' thistles ' ; I mean not 

 only the thistles proper^ (cart^i/ws, cnicus, carlina, etc.), 

 but also the globe thistles (echinojjs), the teasles, and 

 the eryngiums. I like them all, and grow many of 

 them, and think that there are few finer herbaceous 

 plants than the eryngiums when they are well estab- 

 lished, and when the season suits them. There is a 

 very great variety among them, from the silvery 

 little E. glaciate, not more than two or three inches 

 high, from Spain, to the tall species, E. Oliveriaruin, 

 with the handsome flowers borne on pale or deep- 

 blue stems and involucres; and where this colour 

 is well developed there is no other blue flower 

 that can surpass it ; but I think the colour is very 

 dependent on soil and weather. There are many 

 other pretty species, with very handsome foliage ; and 

 we have two British species — the Sea Holly, E. mari^ 

 timum, common all round our coasts, with leaves that 

 in some cases might almost be called blue, and which 

 perhaps formed Sir John Falstaff's Eryngoes, for in 

 his day the roots were candied and much liked, but 

 which I do not remember to have seen grown success- 

 fully in gardens; while the E. campestre is easily 

 grown, and even may become troublesome, but it is 



