Penrice <1>
April 25
My dear Henry
Your letter <2> amused us very much indeed I wish I had any idea what the curious articles you mentioned were like, perhaps Aunt Harriot <3> might be able to give you some information on the subject, when you find out pray let me know. –
I should be delighted to have a root of the Allium albidum but as it is in blow I suppose I must rest satisfied with the idea of it. Pray don’t forget me at some future time. I am quite angry with myself for not remembering to dig up the bee orchis for you, I saw some a day or two after the bundle of plants was sent, but when we were packing it I never once thought of them. – The winter here could not have been half as severe as in England for the yellow Oxalis is flourishing out of doors & so is the Egyptian, purple oxalis, & the Persian Cyclamen which Mamma <4> planted out last year are now in flower not having been defended from the cold in any way. (both the Oxalises sowed themselves years ago.) I believe I sent you word the Oculis Solis you sent Mamma long ago was in blow Little polyanthos narcissus grape hyacinths & purple windflowers like wise or white paper Narcissus. The scilla bifolia is over, but it has been beautiful the Allium roseum is just coming into blow The Cumæ anemonies are in high beauty & the Narcissus bulbocodium which is in the same red sets them off very much. I shall take a piece of paper to the garden on purpose to put down what we have in flower that you may have some idea how pretty we look now. My memory is too short.
Wallflowers
double violets & single do
Tulips Oculis Solis
double primroses of sorts!
Polyanthoses in great beauty
Jonquils double & single
– scentless or <Tags?>
Daffodils white & yellow
Narcissus in great variety
Anemone hortensis double & single do lilac from Cumæ
Anemone coronaria all colours
purple Allyssum
yellow do
Evergreen Candytuft 2 sorts
Scilla Amæna beautiful
single hyacinths, blue
double do all colours
Cistus helianthemum pink
Saxifraga irigua
1 Arabis verna
Aricula’s of sorts.
Cynoglossum omphaloides
Corchorus japonica
Allium triquetrum
double white daisies
fragaria nivalis
Summer snow flake
Indian strawberry
Fumaria solida & Cana
Dead nettle from Himâla
Orobus vernus
Ranunculus gramineus
Polygala rock work
1 white & green Ornithogalum
Mediterranean heath
double & single periwinkles
Narcissus bulbocodium
2 white arabis (small flowering)
blue wood anemonies
fritilarias chequered & white
Spotted Lungwort
scorpion Senna
bladder podded Alyssum
veronica buxbaumia
Narcissus poeticus
double wood anemonies
Hearts ease in plenty!
Laurustinus
coloured primroses
oxlips & cowslips
2 Ornithogalum neapolitan
in the Green house we have the Erica Arborea & some others whose names I don’t know. some geraniums a pretty Genista
the Ruellia Anisophylla just from Carclew <5> & a Lachenaultia. I cannot remember any thing else except a profusion of Persian Cyclamens Camelia’s double & single some Lachenalia’s White Tobacco ( I believe yellow oxalis, purple do and some little nameless things. there are two little lilac blossoms on a Bonplandia (I think). Chinese iris. – How much better it would be to pay a visit here instead of going to a smoky dirty town to be straimed by the noise & choaked with the dust to say nothing of the fogs & broiling sun at times! the Saxifraga irigua is self sown it was originally sent by Uncle Wm. <6> –
I suppose my list is full of mistakes in spelling but you know I never was a Scholar only a gardener I had not time today to go all over the garden or I might have added more to my list perhaps, the turf is quite as gay as the beds are & the fritilaries are all over the shady part of the garden, self sown. the tree peony is in great beauty but not quite out yet – love from all My dear Henry <7> <illegible deletion>
I am your aff coz
Mary
the Chinese iris is in great beauty1829 Swansea April twenty six Chriser Cole. <8>
Henry Fox Talbot Esqre
Laycock Abbey
Chippenham
Wilts
31 Sackville st <9>
Piccadilly
London
Notes:
1. Penrice Castle and Penrice House, Gower, Glamorgan, 10 mi SW of Swansea: home of Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot.
2. Possibly Doc. No: 06392.
3. Lady Harriet Frampton, née Fox Strangways (d. 1844) .
4. Lady Mary Lucy Cole, née Strangways, first m. Talbot (1776–1855), WHFT’s aunt.
5. Carclew, Cornwall, 3 mi N of Penryn: seat of Sir Charles Lemon.
6. William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (1795–1865), botanist, art collector & diplomat.
7. The start of an earlier letter that was abandoned.
8. Sir Christopher Cole (1770–1836), Captain, MP & naval officer.
9. Readdressed in another hand.