42 



IRISH GARDENING 



Rock Plants. 



Tnii .Mi)inf Pink- an miu'iigst tho most i-hamiiiig 

 of joc-k j)laiitN nlik.' i'<v tli.ir beautiful colours, mostly 

 i,'la»uoiis folia j,'i-, and in many casos swivt srcnt. 

 Thrro are many specifs and varieties, but ns tho 

 names are soniowliat uncertain in a good many 

 lists \vi> shall conti-nt ourselves here Avith mention- 

 'm<^ a few of the best- Diaufhitx aljiinun when \vt>ll 

 grown is. without doulit. one of the most beautiful: 

 oi dwarf habit and Ix^arini; larp*- rose-colour.d 

 flowers over divj) green foliage, it is a plant of nuieli 

 beauty. A deep, gritty soil and an exposed jwsition 

 seems to suit it. The wliite variety is a strong 

 grower and flowers equally or more freely but is a 

 much inferior plajit. 



Diatifhux r.TsiHs, the Cheddar Pink, is quite n 

 good plant with sweet-sceutod, rose pink flowers; it 

 is better Icnown in gardens in the form known as 

 Birhhatii's Varirty, of neat cwmpact habit. Another 

 variety is called Marciaret, wliile the double form, 

 though rather floppy, "flowers freely and gives a nice 

 bit of colour. 



D. caUizonus is of the habit of 1). alpinua and 

 lias rosy-pink flowers with a zone of wliitisli spots 

 towards the centre. 



Dianthus cinnabaiinus has [dowers of a mo«t 

 beautiful cinnabar red colour, but is of a most 

 v.retched sparse habit of growth: in fact, the only 

 •way to keep it alive is to keep it from flowering. 

 The best plan seems to be to pinch off the flowers 

 and propagate from cuttings until a good batch of 

 plants is secured, and then plant out, making up 

 one's mind to lose tho lot after flowering. 



Dianthus deltoides, the Maiden Pink, is a showy, 

 fiee-flowering species, often described as rose- 

 coloured, but has certainly a tinge of magenta in 

 it. This, too, frequently dies after flowering, but 

 is readily increased by means of seeds or cuttings. 



Dianthus fragrans, with sweetly-scented, white 

 flowers, is quite attractive and forms good mats if 

 allowed to hang over a ledge. 



D. Freynii is a tiny gem suitable for a crevice or 

 the moraine. It forms tight little rosettes of quite 

 short leaves, and produces comparatively large 

 flowers of a pale rose colour. 



Diauthus microlepis is another tiny species of 

 compact habit, with short leaves and bearing pale 

 pink flowers; it is suitable for the same positions 

 as D. Freynii. D. microlejns rumelicus is similar 

 in habit, but much deeper in colour, and is, T think, 

 a better grower. 



Dianthus ncgUctus is one of the best of all Pinks 

 for the rock garden. The grass-like foliage is sur- 

 mounted by flowers of the most lovely carmine rose, 

 the_ reverse of the petals being buflf-coloured. Rome 

 variation is noticeable among seedlings, which may 

 easily be raised, but those with the best coloured 

 and best formed flowers should be selected. 



Dianthus subacaidis is one of the dwarf, neat, 

 compact growers, foi-ming tight mats of foHage, 

 wliich in summer become quite smothered in small 

 pink flowers. 



Dianthus sylvestris is, when in flower, one of the 

 most beautiful and graceful of all. Forming tufts 



of narrow leaves, the charming soft pink flowers are 

 borne on longish. slender stalks, giving the plant a 

 light, airy apii.arani-e which never fails to charm. 



Th." l)odf(athc<^)ns, or so-calhsl .\merican Cow- 

 slips, are delightful plants for moist, boggy i)laces, 

 and satisfactory in that tht>y rarely fail to establish 

 and reapiM^ar annually. Quit4' a number of species 

 and varieties are ol)tainable, the colours ranging from 

 crimson to wliilr. The following are to be recom- 

 mended : — 



J). 1 1 en Jr I. ton/, crimson: D. inirgrijiAiunx , rose; 

 />. Jrffrcyi, pale rose, a strong grower: D. 

 Lciiioinci, a hybrid obtainable in various colours, 

 chiefly in shades of viol«t and purple; D. Mradia, 

 rosy purple, and D. Mradin alhum, white. 



i)()uilJ(isia rHalifina, sometimes classed as an 

 .\ndrosacc. is a l)eautiful and interestdng phmt, 

 loving gritty. well-dr)*ined soil and an open position, 

 but not too sunny. Vlt is also s\iitai)le for moraine 

 treatment. Of low-creeping habit, with small 

 densely arranged leaves, Doughisia vHaliana is an 

 attractive plant when furnished with its yellow 

 flowers. 



Douglasiu 1:i'vi<iata, with rather l)roader. greener 

 leaves and rose pink flowers, is a plant of even greater 

 chann but by no means easy to keep. It succeeds 

 fairly well in a moist, sandy compost in a half shady 

 position, and when in flower is a Iieautiful Alpine. 

 It is wise, however, .«to keep a few plants in pots, 

 under which treatment, strange to say, it does 

 pretty well. 



Drabas arc luunerous. but many of them are 

 weedy. Draba Aizoides, D. aizoon and D. bruniic- 

 /"//,■/, all with yellow flowers, are free-growing 

 alpines, not without beauty when flowering freely, 

 but the best species is probably D. Mau-ii, a dwarf, 

 tufted plant. Avith green leaves and comparatively 

 large white flowers: it is not easy to get true to 

 nairie. D. pyrenaica, often called Fctrocallis, is 

 distinctly a good plant, forming close mats of short 

 shoots, densely furnished with small leaves and 

 bearing in sunnner quantities of rosy lilac flowers. 



D. imbricata makes hillocks of light green foliage 

 and bears yellow flowers on slender stems, held an 

 inch or two above the leaves. 



D. Sundermanni is similar in habit l)ut has white 

 flowers. 



Of the " Dragon's Head " (Dmcnccphalum) very 

 little need be said. As to the best species, D. grandi- 

 floruvi is probably not in cultivation, and very 

 likely most of us have never seen the true plant. 

 D. hullatum, introduced some years ago from China, 

 is quite worth growing. The leaves, which are 

 stalked, are much wrinkled, and the flowers, produced 

 several together on stalks some six inches high, are 

 fairly large and dusky blue. 



Dryas Drunimondii is a useful trailing ])lant, 

 loving to hang over rocks, forming a beautiful 

 mantle of small leaves, and bearing yellow flowers in 

 summer. Others are D. integii folia, with white 

 flowers: D. nctopelata, white, and D. Sundcrmauni', 

 yellow. 



F.pilobium obcordntum is a charming trailing 

 plant bearing, in late summer, lovely deep rose 

 flowers. This plant requires careful treatment, for 

 though growing freely in summer it is undoubtedly 

 tender and requires protection from cold and wet 

 in winter. A stock should be kept in pots. 



