JANUARY 173 



near Bristol. Gerarde mentions it, and says that he found 

 it in a rabbit warren at Southfleet in Kent. But in my 

 edition the editor, Thomas Johnson, is sceptical, and 

 adds severely : ' I have been told that our author himself 

 planted that Peionie there, and afterwards seemed to find 

 it there by accident ; and I do believe it was so, because 

 none before or since have ever seen or heard of its growing 

 wild in any part of this kingdom.' The origin of the 

 botanical word ' Paeonia ' is from one Paeon, the physician 

 of the Olympian gods, who used the leaves for healing, 

 notably in the case of Pluto when he was wounded by 

 Hercules. 



January 16/t. Last January someone sent me a 

 cutting out of ' The Scotsman ' ; it was called ' Floral 

 Notes from the West Coast of Boss-shire.' The writer 

 begins by showing himself extremely proud, as is only 

 natural, of flowering his Lilittm giganteum, nine feet high 

 and with nineteen perfect blooms on it. He also praises, 

 what I recommend to everybody, the biennial Michauxia 

 campanuloides. He says everyone used to exclaim on 

 seeing it, ' Oh ! what a charming white Lily ! ' The 

 only way, as I stated before, is to grow it from seed. 

 Watsonia marginata, according to him, is a lovely plant 

 which in Scotland can be classed as a hardy perennial. 

 It a good deal resembles the Sparaxis pulcherrima ; in fact, 

 much more so than it resembles the other Watsonias, 

 which, he says, are shy bloomers. He speaks of another 

 little favourite of mine, Linaria repens alba, and describes 

 it as I have always done by saying it reminds him 

 strongly of a Lily of the Valley. It is very easy to grow, 

 and well worth having. It is seldom found in flower 

 lists, and he says he got his from Amos Perry, of Winch- 

 more Hill, Herts. He mentions a pure white Iris 

 kcempferi in full bloom, and below it a mixed mass of 

 those new Tigridias (Aurea and Liiaciiia grandifiora) and 



