THE WHITE ROCKERY 77 



time is getting on, and away they go, having pur- 

 posely seen nothing. 1 



To return to my white rockery ; I come now to 

 a very favourite family of little plants : the true 

 geraniums. Of these, six cannot be dispensed with, 

 and I give them in my order of merit. But, of course, 

 you may place them differently. I think geranium 

 ibericum is the most exquisite. Its glorious purple 

 is rather like a salpiglossis, but far richer and daintier. 

 Geranium Lancastriense comes next in my esteem. It 

 is a form of sanguineum, and has the same habit, but 

 possesses a much more beautiful flower. Lancastriense 

 is palest, purest rose, lined delicately with a deeper 

 shade of the same colour. It blooms from May 

 until November here. Geranium argenteum generally 

 stands first in this list with most people. I put it 

 third. It is lovely enough, and its silver foliage has 

 great distinction. In bloom it is much like the Lan- 

 caster geranium, but the veining lies on a pale ground 

 that is of much inferior colour to my mind, and even 

 tends toward magenta. The bloom of cinereum 

 is very similar. Both I find a little tender. Next 

 I like that giant, armenum, the Armenian geranium. 

 He stands three feet high, and his deep red-purple 

 petals and black eye are very splendid. Here again 

 the word " magenta " is sometimes murmured, but 

 I do not hear it. The white form of geranium san- 

 guineum is fifth on my list ; and sixth I put geranium 

 Endressi, a clear, bright, rose-coloured bloomer 



1 Note that in a garden, as elsewhere, dread to admit ignorance is of 

 ignorance the most glaring sign. 



