62 ALPINE PLANTS. 
compost improves and keeps it open. A plant 
three years old, if properly treated, will make 
rosettes 24ft. to 3ft. across. Shelter well from 
the north and east winds, as the leaves should 
never be without moisture standing on them. 
If the cold winds sweep across the plant the 
moisture soon goes, and the leaves become 
dried up and start to decay round the 
edges. They look well planted by the side 
of a pond between two rocks, with plenty of 
depth of soil for the roots. J. nepalensis 
may be treated in the same manner. They 
are both noble plants. I have seen here one 
plant, 34ft. through, bearing 238 flowers 
and buds, with a stem 53ft. high. They are 
worth growing as foliage plants alone. 
MERTENSIA ALPINA (Rocky Mountains). 
This plant is not too easy to grow, and 
requires a partially shady place where it can 
have plenty of moisture during the growing 
season, but requires to be kept dry during 
the winter. It must have a _ well-drained 
position, and a mixture of sandy peat and 
leaf-mould with a small portion of rough 
loam. Snails are very fond of the young 
srowths. Attention should be paid to it 
