JUNE 361 



the river in front a mirror of reflections. Every street 

 poured its crowd in all directions on to the Lung' Arno. 

 We had excellent places, and my companion, in a burst of 

 enthusiasm, seized my arm and said : ' I don't care, it is 

 simply the most beautiful thing in Art or Nature I have 

 ever seen,' High over all hung the young moon in the 

 clear lapis lazuli sky. The crowd poured along in a 

 ceaseless stream, but it was impossible to imagine any- 

 thing more quiet and orderly. From the absence of 

 strangers, the streets were so empty in the daytime one 

 wondered where the people could possibly all come from 

 now. 



June 26/&. I was faithful to my tastes, and though I 

 had little time I went to the Botanical Garden in the 

 town. It had nothing in it very remarkable ; all the 

 greenhouse plants were out in the open, and many of our 

 Northern plants were growing somewhat shabbily in pots as 

 botanical curiosities, in the way we grow Southern things 

 at home. The beautiful Catalpa syringcefolia was in full 

 flower here, and in all other good Florentine gardens. The 

 same with Trachelospermum jasminoides, which hung over 

 all the walls in the greatest profusion, scenting the air for 

 yards round. I am sure this plant is generally too much 

 coddled at home, and. would do better if sunk out during 

 the summer and well watered ; it is a greenhouse plant 

 well worth growing. Asclepias incarnata and Asclepias 

 tuberosa were very sweet ; both these and Solanum glaucum 

 are quite worthy of a place in a fair-sized greenhouse. 

 Rupelia juncea, from Mexico, struck me as a pretty 

 greenhouse plant, with red flowers and weedy growth. 

 Iris pseudacorus was growing in a huge sunk pot, half 

 earth, half water. 



There was a large collection of Hydrangeas plants 

 so easy to increase that I think our greenhouses ought to 

 contain greater varieties. These four struck me as good : 



