OF ODD TREASURES 145 



Jerusalem Cowslip of cottage gardens I even dislike, with 

 its liverish-looking leaves, and its feeble, purply-red 

 flowers. Bub the unspotted variety, aziirea, with deep 

 sky-blue flowers, is beautiful ; and so is our own very 

 rare native Pulmonaria angustifolia, which I collected 

 years ago in Dorsetshire woods — a plant of slight growth, 

 with narrow, spotted foliage and large flowers of a very 

 rich pure sapphire. Then there is a pretty blue- 

 flowered arvernensis, and a white variety which is small- 

 blossomed and dowdy in effect ; while Pulmonaria rubra, 

 despite the real charm and brilliancy of its rosy bells, 

 must be looked after and frequently divided if it is to be 

 kept floriferous and showy. And, even so, it has rather 

 too much leaf as compared with the flowers. However, 

 it is very pretty, and all the Pulmonarias bloom while the 

 garden is still rather dead and sere ; so, for this, as well 

 as for their invariable good temper, we must love and 

 cherish them, as well as two near relatives of theirs, 

 Cynoglossum apenninum and Cynoglossum pictum, with 

 showers of bright blossom, sound, sturdy growers for a 

 backward corner, where such splendid things as the 

 Dropmore variety of the Italian Anchusa can be put. 



Of all inconsiderable and dowdy weeds the Fig-worts 

 are the least worthy to give their name to a very large 

 race, which, while it is more generous in larger than in 

 small plants, is yet of great importance in the rock-garden ; 

 for, though, setting aside Linaria, Pentstemon, and 

 Veronica, there are no big clans of brilliant plants among 

 the Scrophularinae, yet there are a certain number of 

 valuable species cropping up here and there by themselves. 

 Otherwise this Order leads worthily on to the dull desola- 

 tion of LaUatae, though I know this is an unpopular 

 view to take, and that nowadays it is good form to say 

 that all plants are lovely, and that Nature can never be 

 either dull or plain. However, one must abide by one's 



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