Public-domain ebook
by Herford, Oliver; Clay, John Cecil
Language: en2,063 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #23681.
The work is a whimsical almanac that treats love as a garden, cataloguing “hearticultured” plants month by month. It opens in a barren January hothouse, describing the rare Turnleaf and the Valentine Plant, then proceeds through a succession of illustrated entries that blend botanical detail with romantic metaphor. Each month is introduced with a list of species, such as the hopeful Hope Plant, the mischievous April‑foolia, and the ever‑changing Blush Rose, accompanied by practical notes on cultivation, warnings about blights, and occasional poetic asides. The text is organized like a horticultural guide, yet the flora are stand‑ins for emotions, courtship rituals, and social customs, creating a playful map of affection across the calendar year.
Written in a late‑Victorian tone, the book mixes earnest scientific language with tongue‑in‑cheek humor, reflecting the joint authorship of Oliver Herford and John Cecil Clay. Its ornate, slightly satirical style will appeal to readers who enjoy parody, garden manuals, or period humor that turns the language of botany into a clever commentary on love and society.
The opening · free to read
Outside of the Hothouse few flowers are to be seen in January. The most noticeable of these is the Common Turnleaf or Resolution Plant, a sort of Neverlasting Flower. The Turnleaf abounds during the early days of January, but disappears as the month progresses.
It is a showy plant, with its curiously marked leaves, but is seldom known to blossom. The Flower, which is said to be of the purest white, with an odor somewhat resembling Sanctity, is entirely concealed by the leaves, which begin to turn as soon as the plant is full-grown.
When the new leaves have completely turned over, the flower will be seen in all its snowy beauty. This, however, rarely happens, as most of the plants die long before the turning process is accomplished.
Another winter-blooming flower is the Valentine Plant (Lovelornia Desperatia), one of the Epistolaria Family. This should be set out towards the end of the month, as it flowers in the middle of February.
NOTE. Recent investigations have shown that this destructive Blight, of which the Turnleaf is the victim, is caused by a deadly germ known as Jus Twunsmoria.
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