February 18, 1892. ] 
121 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
the metaphor of Burns, arrayed in her green mantle ; as Mrs. 
Norton called them “ Pale stars that gladden Nature’s dreary 
night.” It seems as if one could never tire of thinking and 
writing of the poetry and prose which the beauty of the Snowdrop 
has impelled its admirers to contribute in her praise ; but an attack 
of illness has delayed these notes, and flowers are appearing rapidly, 
and in the endeavour to make up the leeway the flower which was 
dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and which in olden times used to 
replace her image on the altar on the Day of Purification must un¬ 
willingly bo left in the meantime, at least in this aspect, but a 
word or two from another point of view can hardly be left unsaid. 
In my last notes I said that it appeared as if the Snowdrop would 
be later than in former years, and in this I find that my eagerness 
to view the first flowers has led me astray, as referring to my book 
with notes of the dates of flowering of various plants, I find that 
Galanthus nivalis did not flower with me in 1891 until February 
4th, while this season it flowered on January 29th. G. Elwesi was 
nine days earlier. I have for the first time flowered what has been 
dubbed the “ King of Snowdrops,” G. Foster!. I am aware that 
another season will probably add something to the size of the 
flowers, and that the species is a variable one, but I fancy there 
will be a common agreement among disinterested and unprejudiced 
growers that the regal title has been bestowed with little justifi¬ 
cation. True, the broad well-coloured foliage is very beautiful, 
but the flower is small and the much spoken of “ sweet scent ” is 
somewhat disappointing, although present to a certain degree. The 
foliage is, however, so dis inct that it will, I have no doubt, be 
retained by what may be called the “esoteric few” who are not 
content with the beautiful nivalis, but desire to retain the vaiious 
forms and varieties and can also admire, as I do, the fine flowers of 
G. Elwesi and the broad short bloom; of G. Imperati. I had 
intended saying, in connection with the Snowdrops, a few words on 
the deep or shallow planting of bulbs, but so much waits for notice 
that this too must be left meanwhile. 
Now, too, as the lines from Hone’s “ Everyday Book ” express 
it:— 
“ Beside the garden path the Crocus now 
Puts forth his head to woo the genial breeze.” 
And whatever may be said of its success in wooing the winds, the 
flower which is said to have sprung from the blood of “ a certaine 
young gentleman called Crocus,” as “ Holinshead’s Chronicles ” 
tell us, has by its beauty won the affections of its human observers. 
In my garden Crocus hyemalis stills displays its flowers, and since 
the 30th of January C. Imperati has kept it company with its gayer 
but equally charming flowers of bright purple inside and delicate 
fawn with dark streaks on the outside. The pretty variety of 
C. Imperati named longiflorus, is also in flower ; and some of the 
flowers of C. biflorus, the Scotch Crocus, have just begun to open. 
At this time of the year one has but few visitors to the garden, and 
fewer still who are so intimately acquainted with the flowers as to 
appreciate their many little charms which only reveal themselves 
to the connoisseur (I do not care for the word as applied to the 
informed lover of flowers, but use it for want of a better) ; but one 
of the few visitors admired these Crocuses extremely, and it was 
little wonder, as besides the opened flowers, there were many 
unopened, with their beautiful cone-like closed buds, coloured and 
streaked in a charming way. Then, since the 30th of January, a 
beautiful Crocus which I have without a name, but which is of the 
brightest and deepest yellow, has expanded its shining cups to the 
sun when that luminary could pierce the clouds. It is planted on 
the rockery, and has for a groundwork or carpet to the little com¬ 
partment a plant of the crimson Thyme. Now the golden flower, 
when closed like some miniature gilded minaret, or open like a cup 
of gold, from which Cleopatra herself might not have disdained to 
drink, stands enhanced by the deep green carpet, and by-and-by 
when the Crocus has doffed 
“ . ... her golden robe 
and emerald coloured cloak,” 
the deep green carpet will cover itself with crimson embroidery — 
a fitting coverlet for the couch of the shining flower which sleeps 
the summer through. 
What, too, are these flowers of brilliant hue which seem to 
imitate the rainbow by their brilliancy ? These are the rainbow 
flowers themselves—the Irises, and what pen can venture to 
describe the beauty of the species which now dare to face the 
uncertain weather of February ? To my regret my small stock of 
the beautiful I. Bakeriana has split up into two small bulbs to flower 
this year, and the first to flower has been the new J. histrioides, 
(fig. 18) of which I know nothing sive that it is said f8''Fe A hybrid 
between I. histrio and I. reticulata. I am more than doubtful of 
the truth of this, but in the absence of precise information would 
prefer to await further observation and inquiry among my friends 
who may be growing this beautiful little Iris. It, or at least my 
specimen, is very dwarf in habit, much more so than either histrio 
or reticulata, and has a broad lip, and is of a beautiful arrangement 
of colour—white, pale and deep blue. My plant, like several other 
flowers, opened fully on flOoh January, and has much pleased me. 
Equally beautiful, gayer, and as attractive, if not so rare, is the 
elegant Iris Histrio, the Actor Iris, a native of Mount Lebanon, 
whence it was introduced in 1873. It grows about 9 inches in 
height, and like so many of the genus shows so many shades of 
colour as to be impossible to describe correctly. The brief 
description, “ purple and yellow,” of the “ Cottage Gardeners 
Dictionary ” fails to do justice to the beautiful shades which 
decorate the flower. Another account, “ blue, streaked yellow, and 
blotched deep purple,” comes perhaps nearer, but no verbal 
FIG. 18.—IKIS HISTEIOIDES. 
description can convey to the mind the impression conveyed by 
seeing the flower itself. The most of these dwarf Irises grow 
easily in light, sandy soil, although a proportion of peat in the soil 
is the recognised prescription for the culture of these beautiful 
plants. The next of the genus to flower will be I. Danfordim and 
I. reticulata. 
But the sheets of paper before me remind me that the other 
flowers must have the briefest notice, and the little Cyclamen 
Coum which opened in its sheltered half-shaded nook on the 8th of 
February, and now lightens up the corner in which it grows in leaf 
mould and light sand, will, like other things, only have its beautiful 
rosy purple flowers mentioned. Then the first flower of that 
exquisite miniature Daffodil, Narcissus minimus, opened on 8th of 
February, only to fall a prey to a greedy slug, which escaped its 
rightful fate until this morning, when its inroads were stopped 
for ever. Anemone blanda alba opened on February 11th, and is 
very pretty indeed. It has been established here for about two 
years, and seems quite at home in my light soil. The new Taurian 
form of Scilla siberica is also in flower, and bids fair, when estab¬ 
lished, to be a valuable acquisition. Thus far few of the Saxifrages 
have come into flower, some of the early ones having been delayed 
by removal. S. Burseriana major and S. Boydi alba have, however, 
