MARCH 255 



buds. These flowers that come before their leaves, like 

 the autumn crocus, are attractive, though the size of their 

 leaves when they do come puts one sometimes out of 

 conceit with them, especially if crowded for room ; though 

 it is astonishing how corners can be found in even small 

 gardens for all sorts of things, if one gives the matter 

 constant attention. Having everything under one's eye, 

 one never forgets to notice how they get on ; the greatest 

 danger for the beds and shrubberies is the f orking-over in 

 autumn. It is far better left alone, if it cannot be done 

 with care and knowledge. 



My little plant of the Daphne blagayana is now in 

 flower, but none of the Daphnes do well' here for long ; 

 even the mezereum goes off after a year or two, and 

 D. cneorum wants constant attention. D. blagayana has 



t/ t/ 



to be grown like D. eneorum, pegged down in peat and 

 with some low-growing plant to shade it. All Daphnes 

 are well worth the care they need, but it is a hard struggle. 

 I think the spring air is too dry for them. 



The best gardeners tell me we ought to be able to get 

 Irises during eight or nine months of the year, and that 

 this is done by keeping back Japanese Irises with their 

 toes in the water till October. I confess I have never 

 seen any Kampfefi in bloom after the end of July in this 

 part of the world. 



I have lately been given this most useful list for 

 the blooming-time of Irises : February and March, Iris 

 stylosa (blue and white varieties), I. reticulata, I. 

 unguicularis alba, I. persica, I. histrioides ; March and 

 April, I. pumila atropurpurea, /. pumila carulea, I. 

 backeriana, I. tuberosa, I. orchioides, I. assyriaca ; 

 May, florentina ; May and June, German and Spanish 

 and 1. sibirica ; July and August, English and Japanese. 



I have had the ground prepared, and to-day I am 

 sowing the Shirley and other Poppies and Sweet-peas. 



