85t) SELAGINEI.LA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



SEMPERVIVUM. 



very few found in America, It is of distinct 

 appearance, with very thick fleshy leaves, oval 

 in shape and of a reddish colour, detaching 

 themselves very readily from the stems. These 

 are slender, 4 or 5 in. high, some sterile and 

 trailing, and others erect with clusters of bright 

 yellow flowers. Mountains of Mexico. 



S. stoloniferum {Purple Stoneirop). — Tht 

 best of the Sedums with large flat leaves is the 

 Purple Stonecrop. It flowers late in summer, 

 and often through the autumn makes a bright 

 display, and is suited for edgings, the 

 margins of mixed borders, and for the rock- 

 garden. 5. ibericum is a form of this with 

 slender stems and white flowers. Syns., 

 S. deiitafiiin and S. spurium. Caucasus.' 



S. Telephium.— This is the most variable 

 Stonecrop. No fewer than twenty forms have 

 received names either as sub-species or as 

 varieties, but our native form is as showy as 

 any. It is I to 2 ft. high, the stout erect 

 stems furnished with fleshy leaves, and in 

 late summer and autumn bearing dense 

 broad clusters of bright rosy-purple but 

 sometimes white flowers. S. Telephiiun is 

 distributed about the country, usually in 

 hedgerows and thickets. Like all other kinds 

 about the same size, it is useful for dry 

 borders and the rough parts of the rock- 

 garden, but when well grown will flower the 

 more vigorously. Cut blooms last a long 

 time, hence are often called Everlasting 

 Livelongs. 



The Sedums mentioned are the most dis- 

 tinct. ^ The pretty .S". avruleitiii is an annual, 

 and .S". cariieuin variegatitm is not hardy 

 enough for our winters. The Orange Stone- 

 crop {S. kamtschaucum) has dark orange- 

 yellow flowers in summer, and is hardy in 

 almost any soil, but is best in warm rich loam. 

 There are in cultivation many kinds of the 

 easiest culture. 



SELAGINELLA.— A few hardy kinds 

 of this large family of Lycopods are valu- 

 able for carpeting the fernery or clothing 

 shady spots in the rock-garden. These 

 kinds are S. denticulata, S. helvetica, and 

 .S'. rupesln's, small trailing plants of a deli- 

 cate green, mossy growth. S. A'raiissiafia, 

 generally known in plant-houses as S. 

 denticulata, is also hardy in many places, 

 and in Ireland grows and thrives better 

 than any of the kinds mentioned. All 

 these plants require a well-drained peaty 

 soil, shade, and a sheltered position. 



SEMPERVIVUM (^^z/^^/^^/-).— Suc- 

 culent Rock and Alpine plants, of which 

 the common Houseleek (5. tectorum\ 

 often seen on old roofs and walls, is the 

 most familiar. There is a strong family 

 likeness throughout, and they form rosette- 

 like tufts of fleshy leaves, which chiefly 

 differ in the colour of the foliage, some 

 deep red, others pale green. The flowers 

 of most of them are of a reddish tinge, 

 and several are yellow. All the hardy 



kinds will grow well in dry sandy parts of 

 the rock-garden where few other alpines 

 thrive, or on old walls, ruins, and the like, 

 merely requiring to be placed in chinks 

 with a little soil. Most of them thrive 

 on any border, if the soil be not too stiff 

 and damp, but they prefer a dry elevated 

 position, and full exposure to the sun. 

 Nearly all are easily increased by their 

 abundant offsets. Of late years some of 

 the larger kinds, such as ^\ calcareum, 

 have been used for beds. Europe and W. 

 Asia. 



S. arachnoideum [Cobiveb Houseleek). — One 

 of the most singular of alpine plants, with tiny 

 rosettes of fleshy leaves covered at the top with 

 a thick white down, which intertwines itself all 

 over the leaves like a spider's web. It is rarely 

 seen in our gardens except in a frame, but 

 thrives in moist sandy loam and exposed spots 

 in sunny arid parts of the rock-garden. Its 

 sheets of whitish rosettes look as if a thousand 

 spiders had been at work upon them, and in 

 summer send up pretty rose-coloured flowers. 

 About London it sometimes suffers from spar- 

 rows plundering the " down." Division. Simi- 

 lar to this species are S. loi'iuo^iin (or VVebb- 

 ianiun of gardens), S. Faiironneti, S. hetero- 

 tricluim, and S. Laggeri, which have the 

 rosettes of leaves united by a web of white 

 threads. 



S. arenarium {Sa)id Houseleek). — Grown in 

 dense patches, this plant has a lovely effect. 

 It is much smaller than its ally .S". globiferum, 

 and, unlike the latter species, the leaves of the 

 rosettes are not incurved. The flowers are 

 small, yellow, pretty, and the. leaves usually 

 rich crimson. .S". Heiifelli, a similar species, 

 has in autumn almost chocolate-crimson foliage, 

 the flowers being yellow. Other species of 

 similar character are S. hirtum, S. Neilreichi, 

 and S. soboliferuiii, which is often confused 

 with .S'. globifertiin. 



S. calcareum {Glaucous Houseleek). — No 

 tiner Houseleek has ever been introduced than 

 this, sometimes called S. californictim. It is 

 as easily grown and as hardy as the common 

 Houseleek {S. tectoritm), and thrives in any 

 soil. Planted singly, its rosettes are sometimes 

 nearly 5 in. across, the leaves glaucous, and 

 tipped at the points with chocolate. It is 

 deservedly popular for edgings in the flower 

 garden, and also admirable for the rock-garden. 

 Other cultivated kinds are S. glaiiciivi, S. 

 Ca/nollei, S. Laiiiottei, S. Verloti, and S. 

 Jiiratense, and these are all desirable for a 

 full collection. 



S. fimbriatum {Fringed Houseleek). — Oneot 

 the most profusely blooming kinds, the dark 

 rose-coloured flowers appearing in summer on 

 stems 6 to 10 in. high. The leaves, which are 

 in small rosettes, are smooth on both sides, 

 strongly fringed, and terminate in a long point, 

 being marked at the end with a large purple 

 spot. S. Ftiiicki, S. Powelli, S. barbatuliim, 

 S. atlaiitiaiiii, and .S". piliferuDt are similar. 



S, globiferum {Ileu-aud-chickeii Houseleek). 



