I CALENDAR OF FLOWERING 



Awygdalus Eesseriana 



(/>Y.v.v<r'.v Alum ml), also known as A. nana, is a tiny 

 little almond that grows only to a height of 3 ft. and 

 looks charming with its blush-coloured blooms. For 

 propagation, soil, &c., v. A. communis. 



tAmygdalus communis 



(Common Almond). According to Homer it was 

 Phyllis, daughter of the Thracian King Sithon, who 

 was changed by the gods into this' lovely tree. 

 Demophon had betrothed himself to her, and went 

 to Attica in order to settle his affairs before their 

 marriage. He, however, stayed away so long that 

 Phyllis thought she had been forsaken, and put an end 

 to herself. In return for this constancy she was 

 changed to an almond tree. It has now come to be 



o 



taken as an emblem of hope, and T. Moore alludes to 

 it in this way : 



' The hope, in dreams of a happier hour, 



That alights on misery's brow, 

 Springs forth like the silvery almond flower 

 That blooms on a leafless bough.' 



It comes into flower in March, before most other trees, 

 and is a lovely thing to grow as a specimen on the 

 lawn, sometimes reaching a height of 30 ft., which for 

 a whole month is a mass of most lovely w r hite or pale 



