THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



147 



much better obtained from flowers. 

 It is, however, worth having, and is 

 very effective as a ribbon plant. Two 

 plants of the mint and one of blue 

 lobelia, alternating in a row, make a 

 soft bluish-grey, which sets off scarlet 

 to perfection. 



Arabis alpina variegata. — Let us 

 call things by their right name?, and, 

 as one step towards it, give up the 

 practice of naming this " Alyssuni 

 variegata." There is this difference 

 between them : Arabis is, in all its 

 forms, an herbaceous trailing plant; 

 Alyssum is a miniature shrub. This 

 variegated arabis grows in close, 

 dense tufts, spreading laterally, the 

 leaves mottled with yellowish-white, 

 the flowers white, and plentifully 

 produced in April and May. It 

 is hardy wherever the soil is dry, 

 but is apt to perish in winter in 

 damp situations. We always pot 

 up the whole stock in October, and 

 winter them in frames. If a very 

 close line of clear yellowish-grey is 

 required, this is the best plant in ex- 

 istence for the purpose. It may be 

 propagated at any time, either by 

 putting cuttings into sand in seed- 

 pans from May to August, and again 

 with the aid of a little heat in Fe- 

 bruary or March, or may be increased 

 by division every autumn when the 

 plants are taken up, or in April when 

 they are planted. Like the varie- 

 gated mint, it is a poor man's bedder, 

 and is truly beautiful when well done. 

 In a rich soil, it has the same ten- 

 dency as the mint to throw up green 

 shoots, which should be removed as 

 soon as they are perceptible. 



Alyssum dentatum variegatum. — 

 This is a miniature shrub, with narrow 

 silvery leaves and white flowers, easily 

 propagated from cuttings in spring 

 and autumn, and is very white and 

 attractive as an edging to any bril- 

 liant-coloured bed. It is rather 

 tender, rarely lives through the 

 winter out of doors, does not like 

 damp or a fat soil, is most at home 

 on sand and in an elevated position. 

 Nevertheless, as a bedder, taken up 

 for the winter, and kept in pots well 

 drained and filled with poor soil, it 

 will thrive almost anywhere when 

 planted out. Three years age, the 



most dazzling beds ever thought of 

 were to be seen at the Crystal Palace 

 on the Rose Mount. They consisted 

 of Variegated Alyssum and Flower 

 of the Day Geranium, mixed ; the 

 worst of it is, the mixture is so bright 

 that the eye cannot bear it while the 

 sun shines. It would be still more 

 like fixed lightning by using Alma 

 Geranium, the trusses of which are 

 of a more decided scarlet. 



Scrophularia nodosa variegata. — 

 This is a novelty of the highest merit. 

 It is quite hardy, grows well in any 

 ordinary good soil ; the leaves match 

 those of geraniums for size, and are 

 densely edged with white. It appears 

 to stand extremes of weather as well 

 as any plant in our garden, and looks 

 almost as well in winter as in summer. 

 For amateurs, whose conveniences 

 and means are limited, this is a most 

 valuable acquisition. In appearance 

 it is like a miniature copy of the 

 variegated Hydrangea. 



Thymus vulgaris cariegalus,Thymus 

 serpyllum variegalus. — The first is a 

 fast-growing and very pretty varie- 

 gated shrub, which may occasionally 

 be found useful to mix with low- 

 growing plants of strong colours to 

 soften down the glare. It is not 

 showy in a mass, and on the two 

 or three occasions when we have used 

 it as an edging it was not very effec- 

 tive. Yet it is worth having, and we 

 can imagine a bed of some low-grow- 

 ing and gay annuals, such as Venus's 

 Looking-glass, or Silene armeria, 

 would be greatly improved by the 

 interspersion of this thyme amongst 

 the plants. 



Vinca major elegantissima, V. major 

 reticulata, V. minor argentea, V. minor 

 aurea. — Here are four variegated 

 periwinkles, all exquisitely beautiful 

 and well adapted for amateurs who 

 cannot keep a large stock cf varie- 

 gated geraniums all winter. They 

 grow to perfection in the shade, and 

 no matter what rubbish the soil con- 

 sists of. All four should be in every 

 garden, to clothe banks and shady 

 borders ; and when required for use 

 on a large scale, that which suits best 

 in habit and colour should be propa- 

 gated by cuttings in spring. The 

 first aud last-named are the showiest ; 



