Flowers and Gardens 



and more polished look. It sets itself in 

 far more prominent situations, as if to 

 court our notice, is everywhere visible in 

 the hedge, in the wood, and on the top 

 of sunny open banks ; while the Scented 

 kind has a sort of rarity just enough to 

 make it precious, in unfavourable places 

 it cannot bloom at all, so that we search 

 over the leaves in vain, and it mostly 

 prefers to sink back into the shade, or 

 hide amongst the thick, close green of 

 the rising hedge-plants. And there is 

 apt to be a bluish tint in the April her- 

 bage, by which this concealment is assisted. 

 The Dog Violet is more noticeable from 

 the causes we have already mentioned — 

 the situation it chooses, where it will be 

 little crowded or interfered with ; the 

 larger size, greater number, and more 

 conspicuous colour of the flowers, and the 

 long stalks or side-shoots upon which it 

 sets them. On the whole, we must con- 

 sider the Dog Violet an unfortunate plant. 

 It never gets the credit it deserves. 

 Beautiful as it is with those lilac blossom 

 clusters, we can hardly bring ourselves 

 to love it deeply — it strikes us so much 

 as a degeneration of the Scented species. 

 The Scented Violet seems like genius in 

 its modest youth, never thinking of dis- 



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