COLOUR IN MY GARDEN 



Hundreds were named from some real or fancied resem- 

 blance to some object; thus Monkshood, Bluebell, Turtle- 

 head, Ladies-tresses, Snow-in-summer, Adder's-tongue, 

 Snowdrop, Quaker Bonnets, Dutchman' s-breeches, Maltese 

 Cross, Larkspur, Bird's-foot, Pussy-toes, and so on in- 

 definitely. The words Bull or Horse used as a prefix to 

 certain others, as Bull-rush and Horse-mint, simply indicate 

 a coarser variety of rush or mint. Many twining plants 

 were christened by sentimentalists Love-bind and Bind- 

 with-love. 



Several centuries ago John Parkinson wrote " I would not 

 two things should be called by one name, for the mistaking 

 and misusing of them." If there was this danger in Parkin- 

 son's day, it has increased a hundredfold in ours. Few of 

 these old plant names are at all fixed in their application, 

 many doing duty for numerous quite different and un- 

 related plants and others making part of a string of names 

 of anywhere from two or three to fifty or sixty designating 

 the same plant. Nearly all neat, rather small, round flowers 

 have been called at some time or in some locality Bachelors 

 Buttons; many flowers with soft whitish leaves Dusty 

 Miller, and those having fringed petals were frequently 

 called Ragged Robin or Ragged Sailor. There are countless 

 Prince's Feathers, Bird's-eyes, Sweet Nancys, Cowslips, 

 London Prides, Nonesuch, Cuckoo Flowers, Honeysuckles, 

 Long-purples, Sweet Marys, Ladders-to-heaven, Forget-me- 

 nots, Buttercups, Roses of Heaven, Butter and Eggs, 

 Willow-herbs, Sweet Williams, and Ox-eyes — to name a 

 few; and the number of Meadow Pinks, Indian Pinks, 

 Squaw-roots, and May-flowers that flourish in our own 



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