Stray Leaves from a Border Garden 
dark crimson variety wild by the river here, and a dark blue 
one. I have also a lovely white variety. The first Scarlet 
Lychnis is out; Summer Lightning is a delightful quaint name 
for it ; it used also to be known as Flower of Constantinople, 
Bristol Flower, Maltese Cross, and Nonesuch. Croix de 
Malte is the French name for it. My old Herbal says it is a 
“ Glorious flower, being as Magnificent as it is Beautiful.” I 
think it is a little late in blooming, as an old saw says : 
The scarlet lychnis, the garden’s pride. 
Flames at St. John the Baptist’s tyde. 
But then it is so cold here, things always bloom later 
than the dates given in The Garden newspaper. A lovely 
white Galega — Goat’s Beard — is also in bloom, and a giant 
white Vetch, called Goat’s Rue, a great beauty. It rained 
heavily this afternoon ; my poor Pyrethrums look rather the 
worse for their ducking. I have some lovely pale green 
Astrantia from Auvergne out now. I wish I had the minor 
Astrantia, a tiny little variety which grows in the Alps, but 
it does not appear to grow in Auvergne. I fancy it does 
not like a volcanic soil. My white Jacob’s Ladder ( Pole - 
monium) is in bloom, also the pretty grey-blue variety. 
Pyrola minor , the dear little Wintergreen, is out in the 
plantation now, under a Beech-tree, looking like a fairy Lily 
of the Valley, so graceful and pretty. The old Herbals say 
Pyrola-leaves are good for wounds. My purple-crimson 
Dog-rose has done flowering now, and its bushes are all 
covered with the quaintest long-shaped Hips. In Devon, 
Hips are called Pixy-pears, but these should rather be Pixy- 
cucumbers, their shape is so peculiar, I think. Cattijugs is 
a funny Yorkshire name. 
July 12. — A thunderstorm, accompanied with heavy rain, 
was our portion to-day. The Rainbow was so pretty over 
the fields afterwards ! There is a delightful old Border 
saying about the Rainbow : 
Rainbow, Rainbow, haud awa' hame, 
A’ your bairnies are deid but ane, 
An’ it lies sick by yon grey stane, 
An’ will be found deid ere ye win hame ; 
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