12 OCTOBER 1945, Page 14

In My Garden

A South Coast gardener tells me that he has growing in close juxta- position in his garden three pimpernels, one scarlet, one a deep blue and one pink. The appearance is strange. The first blue pimpernel I ever came across was in Majorca, and it is rare in England. I have tried to keep a patch exclusively for wild flowers, but the experiment needs very careful selection. Such a humble-looking flower as the tormentil or bugle will smother everything. The wild thyme grows leggy, the white violet drives out the blue, dog's mercury and rosebay must be excluded.

W. BEACH THOMAS.