CHAPTER IV 



UNDER the idiotic name of Damnacanthus major, I have a 

 tiny Japanese shrub that thrives in a shady peat bed 

 beneath a wall. It attains a height of five inches, and 

 decks itself with white-scented flowers. The scarlet berries I have 

 yet to see. It has strong opposite thorns, and was therefore handi- 

 capped by the above name from damnao, to conquer, and acanthos, 

 a spine. Could anything be sillier ? 



Then comes Daphne, a precious plant in most of its manifes- 

 tations, though not so fond of this garden as one could wish. 



D. genkwa, the Japanese lilac, has perished thrice, and must 

 be tried once more against a wall ; while D. indica or odora, 

 dwells near my stokehole, and enjoys that comfort in cold weather. 

 My variety, D. marginata, has foliage outlined with gold, and in 

 full flower, about the middle of March, looks well, and scents its 

 secluded home. The habit is straggling, but the plant really 

 must be grown where it will grow, for there is no fresher fra- 

 grance in any garden than that of its pale pink flower clusters. 

 Z). Cneorum is capricious, but will often flourish well in half shade, 

 with compost of loam, sand and leaf. Nor does it resent a reason- 

 able measure of lime in the soil. D. blagayana, another European, 

 is a splendid evergreen with trusses of fragrant blossom. This is 

 a granite lover, and on a granite moraine will wander cheerfully 

 and bloom in early spring. A successful piece is a pure joy ; but 

 you seldom see it prosperous. D. Mezereum flowers freely on its 



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