IRISH GARDENING 



57 



most satisfactory plant of this section. It 

 should be grown in a group of several plants. 

 Another species which one only fully apiniM-iates 

 when grown in a group is 8. luteo-viri(l,is from 

 Transylvania. It has pale green Howei' stems. 

 covered with gold hairs and yellow flowers. 

 The true S. Kotschyi is another yellow -Ho were d 

 sjjecies at present very rare. S. calycifiora or 

 media, from the Pyrenees, with very round 

 rosettes and crimson flowers, is distinct and 

 desirable : and then we have the n\any inter- 

 n\ediate natural hybrids between it and H. 

 aretioide.^, SS. ambigua, (Todroniana. (Trieneri. 

 &c., of which S. luteo-purj)urea. with flowers of 

 yellow or orange in 

 purjile cups, and 8. 

 Lapeyrousei are the 

 best. S. Biasoletti is a 

 hybrid of S. Griesbachii 

 with snialler foliage. 

 S. Clarkei has long 

 ])ointed leaves and rosy 

 pink fl o w e r s . S . 

 Kellereri is one of the 

 best — ^long, spiny foli- 

 age and large open 

 |)ink flowers. S.Stuarti 

 (media x aretioides ) 

 and its variety rosea arc 

 two desirable hybrids 

 with lara;er flowers. 

 I have also a plant 

 similar, but with large 

 flowers, the result of 

 crossing S. Stribnryi 

 vith aretioides. S. 

 Schotii is a most 

 fascinating hybrid 

 with foliage near to 

 S. porophylla and 

 flowers of a bright 

 orange -scarlet. This 

 does not exhaust all the 

 names of the section. 

 Every season new 

 plants ai-e put on the 

 market and given 

 nam.es. I received last 

 year a S. " medici " 

 and S. " Stanleyana'" 

 indistinguishable from 

 S. thessalica, and a S. 

 Boisseri, a twin to 8. 

 luteo -purpurea, and for 

 anyone who does not 

 require a full collection 

 I would suggest 8. 

 Griesbachii, S. thessalic 

 8. Kellereri as distinct. 



The Porphyriox.s oh Oppo.sitifolias. 



This is (piite a small section, but it contains 

 some beautiful jjlants. All are dwarf, close- 

 growing <-reepers that hug the soil oi' clifT face. 

 They should be fre(|uentl.\- to]i-(l,i'<'sse(L and 

 (Uvided if they are to flower freel>. 



8. o])])ositifolia is seen to best advantage 

 hanging <tver a clif¥ face. It has practically 

 stemless, star-shaped floAvers of varying shades 

 of magenta pink. It has many named varieties, 

 not many of which are distinct, ^'ar. ])yrenaica 

 is a much stronger ])lant with larger flowers. 

 Var. W. A. Clarke has the brightest flowers. 

 Var. laggeri has close, compact foliage. There 

 is also a white form, var. alba. S. .Murithiana 



8.\x. Gr]esua<i 

 At Glasiicviii 



S. poro))liylla, and 1 



is a distinct form., looser in growth and smaller 

 foliage ; its flowers have appreciable stems. 

 Other distinct forms are 8. Baumgarteni and 

 8. retusa. The latter makes mats of lichen- 

 like foliage, from which spring small rosy-crimson 

 llowers. It is a charming plant, and with nu; 

 (l,oes best in peat and granite chi])s in half shade 

 in a level spot. 8. biflora and 8. Kudolphiana 

 are also distinct, but are difficult to keep ; they 

 seeux to resent wet winters and dry summers. 

 8. latina is a fine thing, with very large pale pink 

 flowers, and 8. splendens is possibly the best of 

 the lot, with .stronger foliage and an extra petal 

 to each of its flowers. 8. lilacina seems to be 

 the connecting link bo 

 tween the oppositifolias 

 and the Kabschias. It 

 is a Himalayan, and is 

 not one of my succes- 

 ses. I have a couple 

 of plants doing well, 

 one in a granite 

 moraine and another in 

 sandy i)eat, but others 

 die off unaccountaV)]y. 

 It makes a close nvat 

 of foliage not unlike 

 S. retusa, and bears 

 s t e m 1 e s s and large 

 flowers of a clear lilac, 

 quite pure in tone. Un- 

 fortunately it is rather 

 a shy bloomer, but the 

 l)lant is so distinct it 

 is worth any amount of 

 trouble and coaxing. 

 {X<i/i —I have done 8. 

 lilacina an injustice. 

 Since writing the above 

 she has flowered so 

 p r o f u s 1 y that her 

 foliage is quite hidden 

 bv th(> mass of her 

 flowers.) 



The r.MHuosA.-;. 



These are e very 

 1 ody's jilants, growing 

 abnost too freely on any 

 (la nx p , semi-shady 

 ledge, and increasing 

 even more readily than 

 the Ai'zoons. The best 

 known is 8. umbrosa. 

 I never see this ])lant 

 ^'i'l- without thinking of 



the folk who would 

 ave us di'op botanical names and " stick to the 

 ood old English names." 8ome English names 

 are beautiful no doubt, but very many, such as 

 bugwort, lousewort, liverwort, iic, are horrible. 

 Once the botanical name is nxastered one has no 

 further diniiultics. no nuitter in wluit language 

 a catalogue may be printed, one is certain to Jiiul 

 and recognise the l)otanica.l equivalent, to the 

 local name, ami, thus get hold of what on<' re- 

 (|uires. On the other hand, the ])er.'5on who 

 liepends u))on Englisli names has not (uxly to 

 learn their foreign equivalents, Init also fre- 

 (juently linds to his cost that his vaunted " Eng- 

 lisli " name is after all only a local name, which 

 brings me back to 8. umbrosa. for here are some 

 of its local names : — Ix)ndou Pride, 8t. I'atrick's 

 Cabbage. None so Pretty, aiid Clieeky .bdinny! 

 No doubt there are more, and the unfortunate 



