201 
PREPARING FOR SPRING 
Where the Sedges wilt and wither, exposing the hard, 
frozen earth, and where the leaves have been soaked 
with the rain or carried away by the searching winds, 
the elaborate preparations for a new season are freely 
revealed. The Wintergreen pays no attention to the 
penetrating frosts that congeal the moist earth about 
its roots and solidify the lingering foliage of many 
of its forest neighbours. Its scarlet and green, its 
mild flavour and pleasant aroma remain as in summer. 
But in the open spaces the artistic rosettes of fresh 
leaves show a thoughtful regard for the coming season 
of repose. The Evening Primrose spreads a most 
handsome circle of pale green leaves, in no way 
suggesting the tall, irregularly podded stalk and 
perfumed yellow flowers of summer. The slender- 
waisted and pointed leaves radiate from the deep, 
fleshy root, making a circle sometimes a foot in 
diameter. Each circle of leaves grows regularly 
shorter, and there is a cluster of points in the centre, 
the whole rosette lying flat and even on the ground, 
prepared to sleep under the white coverlet till spring. 
These recumbent circles of pointed leaves are among 
the most decorative preparations for the season to 
