COMMON RARITIES.
It should be set down to the credit of our civilization that beautiful plants spread wide in the shortest possible time. The very humblest gardens to-day are bright with the very best sorts of plant. Take that most gorgeous of the poppy tribe— about which I have allowed myself more than once a lyrical outburst—take Meconopsis Betonicifolia. Since Mr. Iiingdon Ward brought back a handful of the seed from the Thibetan border the plant has so flourished that you can now buy seed in twopenny packets; and in consequence may discover in some cottage garden glorious specimens of a flower that was the other day a Chelsea rarity. The blue glory of the Himalayas adorns our village gardens. More than this, the flower even grows in glory, and extends from one petal to six. The best group I have seen came from a twopenny packet.
* * * *
Previous page
