1 80 HERBACEOUS GARDEN 
perennial has to be propagated at this time 
rather than in autumn. (See Alphabetical 
List.) 
But there are not many flowers. Mer- 
tensia Virginica is just beginning to show its 
purple head of tightly packed foliage, soon 
to expand into its lovely arching stems 
hung with precious bells of rarest blue, Om- 
phalodes verna is flowering shyly, and well is 
the name of Blue-eyed Mary merited by this 
charming plant, which loves a rich, moist soil 
in partial shade. The small, double-flowered 
mauve periwinkle is out, and so is the large- 
flowered variegated periwinkle. Some hand- 
some clumps of pulmonaria, the old Joseph's 
coat of many colours, are fully out ; the new 
deep blue is very attractive, so is the dark red, 
and there is a dwarf white one, but the old 
favourite, with blue, pink, and red flowers, 
has such handsome silver mottled leaves, that 
it still retains a place in my garden. And 
Lenten roses are blooming well ; but, except 
some rock plants such as aubrietia and arabis, 
and early bulbs, such as the pale blue and white 
chionodoxa, crocus, and many daffodils, noth- 
ing much is disposed to venture forth till May. 
But if some sheltered paths cut in a shrubbery 
be given up for spring borders, protected by 
