176 THE ASSOCIATIONS OF FLOWERS 
three months, commencing with July. This hower closes 
at four o’clock; and obeys this law of its nature whether 
it is blossoming on its bed or is forming a parlour orna- 
ment among the gathered bouquet of the vase. The tri- 
coloured convolvulus is a native of Southern Europe, and 
was introduced into our gardens two centuries since. It 
requires little care ; and its colour and form alike render 
it a favourite flower. 
In the warm countries of Europe it often grows on hilly 
situations; and it is described as flourishing profusely on 
the top of a very high hill in the neighbourhood of Lisbon. 
In the country in the suburbs of Rome, where many 
very handsome and fragrant wild-flowers attain great luxu- 
riance, different species of convolvulus are very numerous 
in the hedges, and offer a great variety of colour. In 
some parts they completely cover the hedges with their 
leaves and blossoms, adorning both sides of the highroads 
for several miles. The Italians also plant them as orna- 
ments to their verandahs. 
The elegant taste of the natives of Italy leads them to 
admire flowers ; but their national antipathy to perfumes 
prevents the admission of odorous plants in their dwell- 
ings, and excludes many from their gardens. It is singu- 
lar that the descendants of the Romans, a people so lavish 
in their use of fragrant flowers and perfumes, should now 
be so annoyed by their presence. Yet so great is the 
disgust excited in modern Italian ladies by their scents, 
that even the sight of an artificial rose, by merely recalling 
the remembrance of its natural perfume, will cause many 
to faint. When Mrs. Piozzi was in Italy, she paid a visit 
to some Roman ladies with some perfumed powder in her 
hair. To her great surprise and vexation, she found her- 
self an object of universal remark, and plainly saw that 
she was avoided by the company. Servants brought in 
rue on salvers, which the ladies smelt; and Mrs. Piozzi, 
having ascertained the cause of this conduct, left the 
party, which no entreaties could ever again induce her to 
join. One would have supposed that a national antipathy 
might have served as an excuse for the aversion of the 
Roman ladies; but Mrs. Piozzi had a prejudice against 
prejudices. The large wild convolvuluses which entwine 
the hedges of Italy may gain their due admiration, since 
