Stray Leaves from a Border Garden 
to St. Anthony, St. Barbara, St. Swithin, and St. Mar- 
garet, and one species to St. Bruno — alas ! too delicate 
this last to grow with me. The old-fashioned Candidum is 
often called the Madonna Lily and Mary Lily, and is the 
Virgin’s special flower, often to be seen in pictures, and as 
Mary’s Lily is beloved in Irish gardens. Indeed, it used 
to be said you could tell a Papist’s garden by the White 
Lilies and an Orangeman’s by the bold Orange Lilies 
sure to be in one corner. Curiously enough, it was sacred 
in pre-Christian days, being dedicated to Proserpine, 
Diana and Juno; hence its name of Juno Roses ; while a 
Hebrew tradition declares that Lilith Adam’s first wife wore 
a wreath of Lilies. Mother Holda or Bertha, the Teutonic 
Ceres, or Earth Mother, the Moon Goddess, wears a robe 
stained white with Lily-petals, and carries a Lily in her 
hand and wears a Lily-wreath when she comes, in her 
chariot drawn by Ladybirds to bear away the souls of 
neglected children to her celestial gardens. The red and 
gold Gaillardias are looking lovely, also the purple and 
white Stocks, and the white Hyacinth Candicans, or Summer 
Hyacinths, in a neighbouring garden, but ours are as yet 
still in bud. These flowers look very well in abundance, 
set in a row along a yew-hedge or yewen. There is a 
curious red tinge about the wood of yew when it is cut, as 
if it were bleeding. A yewen is a thing of beauty. Near 
here there is an old hedge that has grown into veritable 
trees ; it used to be the boundary of the Lady’s garden, but 
now that has passed away, and it is only a neglected fringe 
by an old stone-built pigstye, close to the cottages of 
gardening and stable men. The old trees look so forlorn, 
with no flowers near except a few tufts of faithful Snow- 
drops. The copper-coloured Day Lilies ( Hemerocallis fulva ) 
are coming out now ; they are much later than the yellow 
ones and more hardy. I shall try them on the haugh, but 
the Rabbits are terrible drawbacks to civilisation. The 
white Jasmine is in full bloom ; it is delicious. I wish I had 
a hedge of it. It is said to be lucky to dream of Roses 
and Jasmine. 
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