A NOVEMBER FLOWER CENSUS.
A neighbour of mine, who is wont to make a tour of her garden every first of November with a census paper, is astonished to find that this year's tally is only short by one of last year's. The garden is strictly a cottage garden in design and not bigger than two cottage gardens in scope ; but it is accounted a bad opening to November if there are not over two score of different species of plant in flower. What a fine compliment to the British climate is here ! We have endured hard frost, a heavy hailstorm and some winds that were of hurricane force ; but fifty flowers open hopeful eyes to November mows ; and have a reasonable expectation of enjoying St. Martin's summer. Wild flowers and weeds are hardly less in evidence than the garden flowers ; and among these the species and variety that has astonished me is the larger and paler wild mallow. It is as fine and free to-day as any garden specimen.
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