140 ALPINES AND BOG-PLANTS 
a year your soil will be packed tight with the matted 
macaroni of its dreadful roots, and you will never, never 
be clear of it again, for it is worse than Goutweed, worse 
than Willow-herb, worse even than Coltsfoot itself. Con- 
volvulus Soldanella, from our own shingles, has not made 
any show here; and, saddest tale of all, mauritanicus, 
fragile trailer, with wreaths of azure megaphones, is not of 
certain hardiness here, though eleven miles off, in West- 
moreland, plants from my own garden mock at me by 
their brilliant persistence. Yet again, more beautiful 
than even this must be that very notable rock-plant 
C. sabatius, found only in one place in the whole world— 
between the crannies of the Cape of Nola, on the Riviera. 
Here also, and here only, lives Campanula floribunda, and 
I have never possessed either. However, let us hope the 
Campanula has no special merit, enters into no rivalry 
with my two prized novelties, raddeana and amabilis. Rad- 
deana has proved itself a perfect jewel—lovely, delicate, 
exquisite, with showers of purple hairbells, and a charm- 
ing, persistent habit of increasing from year to year. 
Amabilis is much larger, pleasant as its name; a stout 
rosette, with three foot spires, loose and graceful, of big 
shallow cups, soft blue, with a dark purple eye. 
Of the Acanthuses I have the Jlatifolius variety of 
mollis, the most splendid of all foliage plants, not except- 
ing the huge Gunneras and Giant Rhubarbs. But mollis 
is not quite happy here, at least not as rampant as in 
rather softer places. In Westmoreland and the Lake- 
country, that soaking Himalya-paradise for the gardener, 
it makes glorious glossy banks, which are as admirable as 
anything I know. Here it thrives quite sufficiently, but 
not, so far, with any wild enthusiasm. However, the 
Acanthus needs time to establish himself, so I still nourish 
hope. Then I have Candelabrum, reputed a fine, sturdy 
kind, and a dwarf species called roseus, Perringi, or Caroli 
