•^ The ^Afternoon of the Tear Qg 



I above all, an elusive quality which gives its perfume a 

 ■ fascination peculiarly its own. 



' Nor knows he well to make his Garden shine 

 With all delights, Who fragrant Jassamine 

 Neglects to cherish.' 



The Common Jasmine (Jasminum officinale) has been 

 grown in England from time immemorial, yet there 

 is still an aroma of mystery in the scent of these Eastern 

 flowers. Various authorities on the composition of scent, 

 ranging from Piesse to Dr. Hampton, have commented 

 on the curious characteristics of the scent of jasmine. 

 In spite of the skill of modern chemists, it remains the 

 mysterious scent. ' Is Jasmine then the mystical Morn — 

 the centre, the Delphi, the Omphalos of the floral 

 world ? Is it the point of departure, the one unapproach- 

 able and indivisible unit of fragrance ? Is Jasmine the 

 Isis of flowers, with veiled face and covered feet to be 

 loved of all yet discovered by none ? ' 



What a thousand pities it is that the sweet-scented 

 geraniums have been allowed wellnigh to disappear from 

 our gardens. When they were introduced, about 1795, 

 from the Cape they became universally popular, and were 

 soon grown on every cottage window-sill as well as in 

 palatial greenhouses. But the introduction of the showy 

 zonal pelargoniums soon diminished the popularity of 

 the humble sweet-scented geraniums, and we are only 

 beginning to appreciate them again at their true worth. 

 The finest collection of sweet-scented geraniums is at 

 Aldenham House. One could easily spend two hours 

 looking at that wonderful array, and nowhere else have I 

 seen standards quite ten years old and measuring roughly 

 5 feet round. To mention but a few — there are the old 



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