206 MORE POT-POURRI 



beautiful flowers, none beating the showy branches of the 

 Mimosa, Acacia dealbata, from the South of France. 



I found at home that the Crocuses had made much 

 progress, and the Daffodils, instead of only showing 

 green spears, are all now in bud. The complete stillness 

 is so delicious to me ! 



How sweet, how passing sweet, is solitude ! 

 But grant me still a friend in my retreat, 

 Whom I may whisper, ' Solitude is sweet.' 



That is what the young feel. The old can do without 

 companionship. 



My little conservatory looked bright and full of bloom. 

 Last year I had a lot of Daffodils in pans, and they did 

 very well and forced easily. This year I have Hyacinths ; 

 but though they were not very good bulbs some being 

 successful, and some failures still they look well and 

 picturesque in the open pans : far prettier than in pots. 

 I have one little Oriental slop-basin filled with the bright 

 blue Scillas, which is very effective ; and the Freesias are 

 always most satisfactory. Mr. Sydenham recommends 

 buying them each year ; but I think, cheap as they are, 

 that must be advice rather for the seller than for the buyer, 

 as with us, treated as recommended before, they improve 

 and increase, and, when there is so much to buy, that is 

 what I call satisfactory. The common Lachenalias do 

 the same. The Lachenalia aurea is more difficult to 

 increase. Lachenalias do not require so much baking 

 and drying as the Freesias do, and should be kept in half- 

 shade in a frame after the leaves die down, and not quite 

 dry. Early re-potting in July is desirable for both. 



To make variety in colour, and because they are such 

 useful flowers for picking their duration in water being 

 almost endless I have several pots of the Orchid 

 Dendrobium mobile, and one fine spike of Odontoglossum 



