POTENTILLA. 



blossom in early summer. Its chief charm, however, lies in its stalked 

 leaves, which are solid, wedge-shaped trefoils, cut into teeth almost 

 straight across the end of each, and all clothed in the closest plating 

 of fine silver, that shimmers and shines again in the sun. As in all 

 this group, P. apennina is of the easiest culture in decent soil and in 

 open, sunlit positions. In fact it may be taken that, except where 

 cultural notes are given for Potentilla, none are needed. 



P. arbuscula is a 6-inch bushling in exile from Siberia, with yellow 

 (lowers in later summer. 



P. argentea. — A tall, common, and valueless English weed with 

 small yellow blossoms, which tries to impose itself on the unwary 

 with its seductive title. 



P. arguta is another tall species from America, with yellow stars. 

 And it may be taken as axiomatic, as far as the rock-garden is 

 concerned (apart from the border and so forth), that the taller-growing 

 Potent illas, with the rarest exceptions, have little value, their growth 

 being so heart rertdingly lush and untidy, that even if the flowers here 

 and there be fine, they cannot outweigh the length of stem and leafy 

 straggliness of habit. 



P. argyrophylla is yet another of these, without place in the rock- 

 garden, though here again the description of the beautiful silver leaves 

 does not belie them. This includes yet another plant of even larger 

 and leafier habit, P. atrosanguinea, which differs chiefly in having blood- 

 red blossoms — produced, however, in such a way as to give this original 

 variant no more value than the rest, though it is a good border-plant 

 for those who do not object to large straggling growth and partial 

 displays : it has freely hybridised with others of the big species, in- 

 cluding P. nepalensis. And there is also a variety, P. a. Gibsoni, 

 which has stars of light scarlet, instead of the deep blood-colour of 

 the type, which, for the rest, like all these larger sorts, blooms on from 

 summer into the later months. 



P. aurea must be remembered and guarded against in the Alps, 

 as being a diminished P. alpestris, always to be known by the fewer 

 leaves and the smaller habit and flower, the leaves being five-lobed 

 as hi the other and very nervy, but velvety at the edge, hairy under- 

 neath, and on the upper surface bright shining grass-green. It has 

 every claim, however, to a good place in the rock-garden or moraine, 

 for it is very beautiful and gay in its decumbent showers of golden 

 blossoms, orange at the base ; and only differs from the other, to the 

 gardener's eye, by their lesser size. The two species, moreover, are 

 found to be rather shadowy in the field, and, either by hybrids, or by 

 intergrading forms, seem often to melt into each other. 



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