WINTER IN THE GARDEN 195 



to bloom freely. The winter is not daffodil time, 

 but there is one member of the family that will 

 delight us with its flowers even in that inclement 

 season. This is the tiny Narcisstis minimus, which 

 is often at its best before January is out. A clump 

 of a couple of dozen or so in a sheltered nook in 

 the rock garden makes a pretty picture. Consider- 

 able variation occurs in the size of the flowers of 

 this daffodil, but, in the smallest and most desir- 

 able form, when expanded they scarcely exceed 

 half an inch in diameter and are borne on stems 

 about three inches in height. 



One of the most charming of winter flowers 

 is Cyclamen coum and its varieties, for at a time 

 when blossoms of the open air are conspicuous by 

 their absence, they spread their countless flowers, 

 crimson, pink, and white, in close mats of colour 

 over rocky banks and around the boles of trees, 

 affording a lovely picture in the dark days of the 

 year. When once established they reproduce 

 themselves freely from seed and multiply amazingly, 

 often spreading to a distance of many yards from 

 their original site. The best known species is 

 C. coum,. This has rounded leaves, dark green 

 above and purple beneath. C. ibericum is a larger 

 and finer form of C. coaivi, with white-zoned leaves. 



