A Thirsty June 
eye there is evidently an aristocracy of vegetables as there 
is of flowers. In the absence of the early Spring Onion the 
despairing Cook breathed the word Chives. But on apply- 
ing to the artist in gardening : 11 Oh ! Chives have never 
been in this garden yet. Ou ay, I ken it weel ; ye’ll find it 
in all the hinds’ gardens, but no in the Laird’s. There’s 
some Cooks wadna demean theirsels to cook them for the 
likes of you. They’re just a common vegetable, common, 
common, no aristocraticlike. But I’ll gie them a corner 
if ye wish.” So little common Chives, the poor man’s 
comfort, is to rub shoulders with Lady “ Lettice ” and Lord 
“ Spinage.” 
June 21. — A Tree-creeper was observed to-day progress- 
ing in its curious circular way round an Oak-tree. They 
are not very common here, but have been sometimes seen. 
There seems to be a Tree-creeper’s nest in a low tree near 
this Oak-tree, but it is now empty. I wish I had found it 
when it was tenanted. It looks like an untidy bunch of 
Oak-leaves and open at the side instead of the top. It 
rained again to-day, but cleared in the afternoon. Some of 
the flowers are a little cast down, but in the main the 
garden looks refreshed. The White Bride Gladiolus are in 
great beauty, also the white and lilac Dames Violets or 
Rockets — Night Violets as the Germans so delightfully call 
them. There is an old-fashioned double Rocket I must 
try and get ; it used to be common in old Scotch gardens. 
Rockets make the most lovely beaupot, helped with a little 
pink Ivy geranium. The Yellow-flag Iris down by the 
river is in full bloom, and looks beautiful in a big bunch in 
a blue bowl. This Yellow-flag grows in great patches on 
the Isle of Iona, and it is very pretty to see the masses of 
yellow and green glory on the island shores from the decks 
of the summer steamers, with the long-horned furry Highland 
cattle standing knee-deep in it. 
In the garden I have a Yellow-flag with lovely green-and- 
white-striped leaves like an old-fashioned gauze ribbon, 
somewhat like the Ribbon-grass our grandmothers called 
Gardener’s Garters or Mary’s Garters, or, more prettily, 
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