458 THE ROLL OF THE SEASONS 



little rhododendrons as big as gooseberry bushes, 

 called pracox, are indeed covered with their rather 

 dull mauve flowers, but some of the giants of the 

 rhododendron walk are so flaming with crimson and 

 scarlet that they can be seen nearly half a mile away. 

 The great fire of blossom that does not culminate till 

 May has well come in, is now so thoroughly under 

 weigh that those who wish to see all its beauties must 

 visit this end of the gardens at least every week. 

 Nobleanum> now covered with richest crimson, will be a 

 tale that is told before the April bushes open. So will 

 fiery fulgens from Nepal, and many other Himalayans. 

 Last year, it is well remembered, the first wild bees 

 and the queen-wasps were busy at one of the best of 

 these trees, barbatum, which has now finished blossom- 

 ing without knowing a wild bee. The bees are 

 punctual even when the flowers are early, and by that 

 we know without looking at a diary that the flowers 

 and leaves are earlier than the bees this year. 



Kew is early in its crocuses and daffodils, and well 

 planted with early blooming exotics ; but the traveller 

 knows some more rugged and exposed countries that 

 beat these fat and sheltered gardens at many points 

 in the matter of homely well-established flowers. In 

 the hills whence came many of the limestone boulders 

 of the Alpine garden, some of the things that here 

 are just straggling into spare blossom are in full 

 luxuriance. That is especially so with the white 

 arabis, called by the cottagers, " snow on the moun- 

 tain," and by some, more affectionately, " welcome 

 home husband though never so drunk." It would be 

 hard to pick a dozen sprays in the Alpine defile, but 

 the writer has seen it this week on its mounds in 



