44 THE CULTURE OF POT-PLANTS 



sunshine in summer, especially if they are allowed to get dry. 

 Some species, such as London Pride, will grow and flower 

 quite well in the shade. Growing naturally on the slopes of 

 mountains, where they are kept dry by a covering of snow in 

 winter, and Avhere water quickly drains away, saxifrages are 

 not used to damp, and are soon injured by it when the 

 temperature is low. This is especially true of the encrusted 

 species, which generally grow outwards from the face of a 

 cliff, so that no water can lodge in the rosettes and cause 

 decay in the crowns. Therefore, if they need moisture in 

 winter, the water should be poured on the soil and not over 

 the foliage. Propagation can be effected by seed (but growth 

 is generally slow), or by division, or by cuttings. 



Sedum (Stonecrop). — Another large family, varying 

 greatly in the characters of the different species, from the little 

 creeping evergreen Wall Pepper (S. acre), which is a common 

 plant on walls in England, to the large herbaceous S. maximum, 

 which is sometimes 3 ft. in height. As sedums grow in drier 

 and warmer positions than saxifrages, many of them are more 

 easily managed in pots. Some of the best species are S. acre 

 aureu??i (the yellow-tipped variety of the common Wall 

 Pepper), S. alhun, S. anglicum (another native), S. asiaticum, 

 S. brevifolium (Mealy Stonecrop, so-called from the white 

 globules on the leaves), S. kamtschaticum variegatiim (with 

 yellow flowers and variegated foliage), S. pulchelluin (a fine 

 trailing species), and S. spectabile (a handsome plant with 

 pink flowers in September, sometimes 2 ft. high). They can 

 all be propagated by seed, by division, or by cuttings in 

 spring. If the little stems of Wall Pepper and similar species 

 are chopped up, strewn on the surface of a pot of sandy soil, 

 sprinkled with sand and kept moist, almost every piece will 

 grow. 



Spiraea. — The proper name of the plants commonly 

 grown in pots is Astilbe japoiiica, but as they are popularly 

 known as spiraeas, they are placed in this list. There are, 

 however, several true spiraeas, such as .S". palmata and its 

 varieties, which are very ornamental in pots ; and there are a 

 number of beautiful hybrids, for instance Queen Alexandra 



