SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



23 



flowers grew upon old walls, and were seen on the casements and 

 battlements of ancient castles and among the remains of abbeys, the 

 minstrels and troubadours were accustomed to wear a bouquet of 

 these flowers as the emblem of an affection which is proof against 

 time and misfortune : 



' Who loves iny flower— the sweetest flower 

 Thro^ra rudely o'er the ruined tower, 

 Will she her fragrant soul exhale 

 Unheeded on the lonely wall ? ' — Laxghorne. 



The common Wallflower is a native of Southern Europe, and was 

 well known in the time of the Greeks ; its scented attractions have 

 through all succeeding ages rendered it a favourite, and in whatever 

 way we may take it, we possess but few flowers that adapt them- 

 selves so readily to almost any situation in the garden, and throw out 

 their fragrance at almost all seasons. Lord Bacon observes ' that 

 they are very delightful when planted under the parlour window, 

 from whence their fragrance is felt throughout the dwelling-house. 



' By the roofless tower, 



Where the wallflower scents the air.' — Burns. 



The traditional origin of the flower would almost indicate the 

 origin of the names of 'Bloody Warriors' and of 'Bloody Walls.' 

 To give the legend at length would occupy too much space ; a 

 resume of it may be of interest : — 



* The sweetness of the sweet Wallflower 

 Breathed from a cleft in the ruined tower.'— Flora. 



In an ancient castle in the south of Scotland a fair maiden was kept 

 a prisoner, having given her heart to the young heir of a hostile 

 clan ; and, as blood had been shed between the chiefs on both 

 sides, the deadly hatred of those blood-stained days forbade all 

 hope of a union. At length, after various stratagems, gaining 

 admission as a wandering troubadour, it was arranged that the 

 maiden should make her escape, the knight to await her arrival 

 with horses and a retinue. Herrick gives the following lines as a 

 sad conclusion of the legend : — 



' Up she got upon a wall. 

 Attempted down to slide withal. 

 But the silken t^\ist untied ; 

 She fell, and bruised and there she died. 

 Love, in pity to the deed, 

 And her loving luckless speed, 

 Turn'd her to this plant we call 

 The scented flower upon the wall.' 



Fields of Wallflower which are largely grown for cutting for the 



