May 11, 1907 



HORTICULTURE 



617 



Alpine Flowers in a Cold Greenhouse 



It si'i'ins. to say the k'aijt .:|' it, most iiieon^TUoiis to 

 wnti' lit alpjno flowers (the \cr\- niontion of wliich 

 l)riii};\s to mind mountain heijilits bejewcllrd with the 

 {'ain'>.t oC nature's miniature jdants) in a cold green- 

 iioiise. _v(.'t i;i'o,-,sly artificial tliouah this metliod of culti- 

 vation i>^. 1 know of none otlier that brings home to 

 one the beauties oi' mountain flowers in the same degree. 

 'i"i-ue, thei'e i< a finci' >peetaeuhir etfeet wiien the plants 



Alpii'.e House lii the Royal G:U'i]en, Kew. 



are grown in the roek garden out of doors and one is 

 able to provide .conditions, soils and situations, more 

 nearly approaching those in which Nature nurses her 

 alpine plants, vet in the cold greeirhouse you have them 

 closely under view, you miss none of the delicate beauty 

 and delightful charm so characteristic of these flowers 

 of the high mountains throughout the world. The ac- 

 com]Uinying illustration shows the Alpine House in the 

 Eoyal Gardens, Kew, when in the height of its beauty 

 in the month of April. It is. as may be seen, a small 

 sjian roof greenhouse, and it is absolutely unlieated; it 

 is, in fact, a cold greenhouse such as thousands must 

 possess wdio have gardens. Unheated greenhouses are 

 often liare in the spring months of the year except for a 

 few pots of tulips, hyacinths and other florists' flowers, 

 vet bv cultivating a selection of alpines in pots and pans 

 if nuiv be transferred into a fairyland of blossom, a 

 place of fresh spring beauty when the outdoor garden 

 is a world of drab and gray. And most of these alpines 

 are delightfully accommodating when tenderly cared for" 

 even though their roots are confined within the naiTow 

 limits of prosaic garden pots and pans instead of root- 

 ing freely into Mother Earth on their native mountain 

 heights. You may have representatives from widely 

 separated countries, each and all in the rudest health ; 

 in fact I know of no other class of plant that provides 



under the sanu' root such a oo.smopolitan and attractive 

 display as those whose home is in Alpine pastures, on 

 mountain I'ocks and in hilltop woods. 



Some of the many beautiful plants that oiie can 

 grow are Narcissus minimus (the snuillest of all daffo- 

 dils). Narcissus bulbocodium, of which I send you an 

 illustration, Narcissus cyclameneus, crocuses in variety. 

 Cyclamen iberieum. Aiuinone blanda, hepatieas, Saxi- 

 fraga oppositifolia, S, burseriana, S. Boydii, scillas, 

 ehionodoxa, primulas, irises and many more. Truly a 

 regal procession of flowers and one that continues 

 throughout two or fhi'ee months. 



In attempting to grow these plants it is most impor- 

 tant to have gritty or sandy soil through which the 

 water can pass awav' readily. In fact to such plants as 

 .saxifrages and sedums thorough drainage is so essential 

 that the jians or pots prepared for them must be half 

 lilled with liits of broken flower pots, or "crocks" as they 

 are commonly termed. The best time to attend to these 

 alpines in the matters of dividing and repotting is at 

 this season wdien their flowers are past their best. So 

 ihat anyone inferesteil in the sulijcct ought to make a 

 start at once. After di\'iding those plants that require 

 it. they should be placed for a few days in a frajne that 

 is shaded and kept close. In the course of a week or 

 two they must iiave an abundance of air, in fact the best 

 place for them during the summer months is in an open 



MjM # 



mm 



Narcissus bulbocodium. 



frame, the pots or pans being plunged to the rims in a 

 lied of ashes. While gl•o\^^ng they require fairly copious 

 supplies of water but during the winter when growth is 

 practically at a standstill the watering can must be 

 used with care and a nice discrimination. 



