io8 MY GARDEN 



probably many better than these that I know. The 

 Piedmont plant is beautiful in its way, and so is the 

 sky-blue azureum. Anomatheca gets its foliage 

 dashed by frost, but does not mind in the least. 

 This very fascinating little Cape irid is hardy, and 

 increases from seed at a great pace. I like its bril- 

 liant crimson blotched with darker hue. Cruenta is 

 the common form ; a plant sold as " grandiflora," 

 which comes from tropical East Africa, belongs really 

 to the lapeyrousia race. Antholyza I have not tried, 

 but I am going to pull up my remaining Watsonias 

 and put antholyza in their place against a warm wall. 

 Watsonia is rather uninteresting, so far as I have got 

 with it. The plant is hardy enough, but the bloom 

 is scattered and somewhat mean both in shape and 

 colour. I must try Watsonia iridiflora O'Brieni. You 

 can see this in a picture of the " Supplement of the Dic- 

 tionary of Gardening," and it looks most attractive. 

 Watsonias, says an old authority, vary their colours, 

 and the same bulb will produce pale pink flowers 

 one year, perhaps dark crimson the next, and possibly 

 a variegated bloom in the third. I had hoped mine 

 might do something original of this sort ; but they 

 never soared above a paltry brick-red. Bernardias 

 are wretched little squills not worth growing. Bes- 

 sara is a scarlet gem, and should be tried out of 

 doors, for in some west-country gardens it prospers 

 thus. Mr. W. Fitzherbert, one of our most dis- 

 tinguished and skilful Devon gardeners, has cultivated 

 it with success in the open air, I understand. 



Bloomeria, to my untutored eye, is merely a yellow 



