In the Garden
This year, as in others, the most-talked-of things in the March garden have been the lenten-roses, the pink, plum- red, green-white, and mauve-speckled hellebores. Bought for a few pence, planted in the wrong situation, never awarded a moment's special attention, my plants have been a source of infinite satisfaction throughout the cold springs of several years. Their pure, in some way unearthly flowers, ranging from greenish-white to a kind of cloudy claret, begin after the Christmas roses in February and go on until May. Like old soldiers, they never die ; they simply fade away with a papery, beautifully preserved grace among their handsome bottle-green leaves. In many ways they are even more satis- factory than Christmas roses ; they are more upstanding, are never dashed or muddied by rain. They never need to be covered by glass. And even among the royal purples of iris and crocus and the first daffodils they have a way of looking very aristocratic.. They are so distinguished and decorative that there is always a temptation to bring them indoors, but in warm rooms they are wiltingly unhappy. They are most glorious in the dour days between winter and spring.
H. E. Bans.
Previous page
