THE WANING YEAR 
I 5 I 
And greatly as I prize the light and elegant effect of the 
branching sprays and starry blossom-clusters of the deco- 
ratively grown, I could not love them near so much but 
for the aerial setting they offer to my most gorgeous 
specimen flowers. Save with the exclusively decorative 
species, it is all a matter of timely deletion; so I have 
arranged to have grandiose “ specimens ” of all my 
favourites, together with examples grown on a slightly 
less exclusive scheme beside. I could never weary of the 
perfections of some of these. Custom cannot stale the 
delicate lilac-rose beauty of Vivian Morel, nor the 
luxuriant charm of Madame Carnot’s wealth of rose or 
ivory locks; while, apart from their proper excellences, 
these are two of the most valuable stocks extant: as, for 
instance, the beautiful Lady Hanham, Charles Davis— 
whose flakes of apricot and tawny gold would make sun¬ 
shine in a shady place—and Mrs. J. Kitson, all are sports 
from Vivian Morel; and other scarce less celebrated 
beauties, among which we may number Madame Louis 
Boussillon, claim descent as sports or seedlings from 
Madame Carnot. Of a different and more massive type 
is the splendid Pride of Madford, whose large curving 
amaranthine petals disclose, as it were, scimitars of pale 
silver as their reverse; close beside it stands President 
Borel, of another distinguished parent-stock, with petals 
like deep-glowing garnets set about with dull gold. 
It seems to me that the lady who stood sponsor for 
Eva Knowles must have realised the position of the best 
kind of fairy-godmother, so enchantingly is this fine 
flower equipped. The conscientious compiler of cata¬ 
logues has more of my sympathy than ever, when I 
