PART I 



IN MY VICARAGE GARDEN 



CHAPTER I 



THE FLOWERS OF EARLY SPRING 



When does spring commence ? And at what 

 exact time of year may we look for our spring 

 flowers ? By most people the answer would be 

 readily given that spring commences with April, 

 or it may be a few weeks earlier in forward 

 localities ; and that spring flowers are those that 

 may be looked for in March, April, and May. 

 But the thoughtful gardener may give a different 

 answer ; and I am inclined to look for the right 

 answer in Bacon's happy phrase when describing 

 his ideal garden, in which he would have Ver 

 perpetuum. To the real lover of plants, spring 

 lasts from the first of January to the thirty-first of 

 December, and spring flowers are to be found all 

 through the year. To put it in another way, 

 spring is the time at which flowers wake out of 

 their sleep, and the awakening takes place, not 

 according to months, or even to weather, but 

 according to the needs and nature of each different 



A I 



