imSH GARDENING. 



99 



The Alpine Garden. 



May and June are mouths of great delight for 

 the alpine gardener, for it is then that the 

 result of the work done in the j)ast year is 

 really seen. 



Newly constructed rockwork, freshly planted, 

 is now a mass of bloom ami (piite " at home "' 

 with its surroundings, and juany new effects 

 may be noted. 



Particularly hai3j)y is a planting of Primula 

 Veitchii at the foot of a small mound covered 

 A\'ith Ajuga variegata ; and in the bog Primula 

 siberica, floAvering with Dodecatheon Jeft'reyi 

 and Primula pulverulent a pink, is quite 

 lovely. 



Also noticed in the bog are Pinguicula grandi- 

 lloi'a in (piantity, TroUius globosa, and other 

 forms ; Saxifraga erosa, S. Hausmanni, with 

 most effective yellow flowers ; Lithospermum 

 prostratum Heavenly Blue, Phlox Douglasii, 

 with delightful mauve flowers and prostrate 

 habit ; Ranunculus Amplexicaulis R. bilobus, 

 and several interesting groups of Primula 

 Lissadell Hybrids in variety. 



The red mossy Saxes were a pure delight this 

 year, S. decij)iens Red Admiral being noted as 

 the best "stayer." Phlox J. F. Wilson, 

 flowering beside a patch of Arenaria purpurea, 

 is very eh'ective, as is a fine stream of Viola 

 gracilis tumbling down through purple 

 Aubrietias and mauve Phloxes. 



The encrusted Saxes are quite beautiful, S. 

 lingulata Albert! dividing the honours with S. 

 Cochlearis for the most effective, and a verj' 

 good collected form of S. Cotyledon, rather like 

 Icelandica, but evidently not so hard to grow, 

 coming ill a good third. 



In the limestone moraine Wahlenbergia 

 scrpyllifolius and W. s. major are a mass of 

 l)loom, and W. pumilio shows great promise of 

 llowcr. Cllobiilaria incaneicens, Dianthus 

 Kreynii, Erodium Reichardii syn. Chamse 

 (lfv<ii<l('s, and Armeria cie])itosa are also in 

 llnwcr. 



Cyanauthiis incanus, (!. lobatus, and C. iu- 

 tlatiis, wintered in the alpine house, have been 

 planted out on a shadv slope in peat and 

 sa.Kl. 



Propagation, which b<.'gan with the early 

 Saxifrage^-*, is ivnv being started "in earnest," 

 the sand and sun fi-amc method being used for 

 some things, but the majority of our cuttings 

 are rooted under " clo(;hes " in sand and leaf- 

 mould in a shady (H)rner facing n<n"th. I hope 

 to go more fully into this most important woi'k 

 of propagation in next month's notes. 



M. E. 



Erodiums. 



Commonly called "' Heron's Bill," the Erodiums 

 are somewhat similar to the Geraniums, but 

 difi'er in having only five perfect stamens in- 

 stead of ten as in Geranium ; as a rule, too, the 

 leaves are more finely divided, and a short 

 acquaintance with the two genera will suffice 

 to teach one to distingiiish them. 



No plants are more suitable for the rock 

 garden, and xwactically all are hardy and easy 

 to grow in well drained soil in a sunny position. 

 For forming groups or planting between stones 

 many of the species are excellent, while the 

 stronger growers are suitable for the front of 

 the herbaceous border or for edgings. The 

 colours vary through pink, white, yellow, 

 violet, and intermediate shades, and all are 

 pretty and useful. 



Propagation is fairly easy in most cases by 

 means of seeds or cuttings. Seeds are not pro- 

 duced freely in all cases, and it will be found 

 on examination that some plants of one species 

 may have male flowers only and others only 

 feiuale. In such cases hand pollinating is an 

 aid in the production of seeds. Seeds should be 

 s()\\-n in light, sandy soil, and placed in a close 

 frame where tney will soon germinate, and niay 

 be pricked out wnen large enough. 



Cuttings removed with a short piece of the 

 woody pOxtion at the base root well when 

 dibbled into sandy soil under a hand light or in 

 a close cold frame. Owing to the very short 

 groAvt-h of some species, it is occasionally diffi- 

 cult to detach shoots suitable for cuttings, in 

 which case some sandy soil mounded up roimd 

 the base of the plant might induce the forma- 

 tion of roots, when the shoots could be detached 

 with a sharp kiiife. 



The following are some of the best species 

 and varieties in general cultivation : — 



E. Chamaidryoidos. This is a delightful 

 little plant, perhaps the tendercst of all. It 

 flourishes in gritty soil facing south or Avest, 

 and protected from the north and east by 

 stones. It only grows some four or six inches 

 high, bearing small round green leaves, sur- 

 mounted by white flowers with ])ink veins. E. 

 chrysanthmum is a lovely plant Avith grey- 

 green, finely divided leaves and pale yellow 

 flowers. Of this there is a pretty Avhite- 

 fiowered var-ety. 



E. guttatum is an uncomm<>n sjK'cies, Avith 

 silvery leaves aii'l white tlowers with A'iolet 

 A'eins. It is often confused with K. macra- 

 ilenum, AA'hich has light Aaolet lloAvers Avith 

 darker blotches. Both are extremely beautiful 

 and loA'c deep sandy soil in a sunny position. 



