1S79O EVERGREEN HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS. 157 



Iberis corifolia. — This is one of the dwarfest and most beautiful of 

 the genus. The foliage is of a deep olive green colour, and if propa- 

 gated by means of cuttings annually, no more compact plant can be 

 imagined, — the flowers pure white, in compact, rounded umbels. In 

 all respects it is the finest of the genus. Any of the Iberises may be 

 employed in the way proposed, and should be propagated annually for 

 the purpose. The flowers, if objectionable, may be cut away, and the 

 freshness of the foliage will be enhanced thereby. They are all dwarf 

 plants, not exceeding four or five inches high in the foliage line. They 

 vary slightly in height when in flower. 



Stonecrops (Sedums) offer numerous green and glaucous species 

 which are attractive during the winter, as they also are in the summer 

 months. Amongst the best in colour and habit are — S. album, which 

 mats and clothes the surface of the ground with its numerous stems, 

 thickly set with bright brownish-green leaves. The flowers are white, 

 supported on stems about six inches high, forming dense masses about 

 Jane and July. S. anglicum forms tufts of lively-green, dwarf, and 

 mat-like flowers —white, often tinged with pink. S. rupestre, having 

 larger leaves and a more robust habit than either of the foregoing, is 

 yet very dwarf and compact, — the leaves a glaucous tint, which is 

 very pleasing. The flowers are bright yellow, and appear in July and 

 August in terminal clusters. S. sexancjulare is a deep, slightly rufous- 

 green in tint, and is closely matting in habit. The flowers are yellow, 

 appearing in early summer. S. spurium is quite distinct from any of 

 the preceding, particularly in regard to the form of its leaves, which are 

 flat and roundish, or wedge-shaped and toothed. It forms flat tufts. 

 The colour is bright-green, and somewhat glaucous. The flowers are 

 rosy-purple, borne on decumbent stems a few inches high. 



The flowers of these may be objectionable to many, and those of 

 some of the species are not worth being permitted to develop them- 

 selves on the ground of any very striking beauty they possess. But 

 that objection applies equally to certain others of the numerous bed- 

 ding-plants which are in use with variegated or glaucous leaves. The 

 flowers can be cut away, and the foliage effect will be enchanced thereby. 

 Saxifragas, in the mossy and silvery-leaved sections, present a rather 

 numerous list to select from. The effect of both in winter is beautiful, 

 especially in gardens where gravel and stone-work abound. Some of 

 the mossy section are peculiarly bright in winter, when they are managed 

 so as to prevent their becoming patchy. They should be planted every 

 year in order to keep them compact and smooth ; and at any time 

 during the growing season they may be attended to in the matter of 

 making good weak spots, so that a fine even surface may be constantly 

 maintained. S. aizoda is one of the silvery or incrusted-leaved class. 

 The leaves are short, blunt, and arranged in rosettes, which, like most 

 of this class, are liable to become tufted and uneven if they are not 

 annually divided and replanted. S. ccespitosa belongs to the mossy 



