284 MORE POT-POURRI 



God there for His pleasure, 



In divinest leisure, 



Walking in the sun. 



Which hath lately run; 



While the birds sing clear and plain, 



Behind the bright, withdrawing rain. 



Soon I shall perceive 



Naked, glimmering Eve, 



Startled by the shower. 



Venture from her bower. 



Looking for Adam under perilous sky; 



While he hard by 



Emerges from the slowly dropping blooms 



And warm, delicious glooms. 



April 10th. — This is a time when I always find it a 

 little difficult to keep the conservatory next the drawing- 

 room gay. The large Crinum is going off, and the 

 Azaleas are rather a bad metallic colour, which kills 

 everything else. Primula farinosa is a pretty thing if 

 well grown ; Cineraria cruenta is in full bloom, but I 

 must get some fresh seed, as the flowers have all become 

 one shade, which they were not at first. A charming, 

 sweet little shrub which looks something like a white 

 Daphne is Pittosporum tohira ; it co'mes in usefully at 

 this time. We have had in succession since January 

 pots of Polygonatum (Solomon's Seals), and they all go 

 out into the reserve bed to be taken up another time, so 

 are not at all wasteful. I have never had Forsytliia sus- 

 pensa so good in the garden as this year. The shrub is 

 one golden mass, and when picked in long branches and 

 peeled it is quite admirable in water. I suppose its 

 being so good is partly an accident of the weather, 

 partly that after flowering last year it was cut back hard, 

 and partly that we twisted black thread about it to pre- 

 vent the birds eating the buds in February, which they 

 invariably do here, both with this plant and with 

 Prunus Pissardii. Spiraea Thunbergii responds in the 



