136 ALPINE PLANTS 
It is true, we may frequently hear the remark that, “‘ there 
seems to be something wrong with the Dianthus,” but 
generally speaking, the something that is wrong can without 
difficulty -be detected, and turns out to be that the plants 
are not given a fair chance. None of the Pink family 
can endure coddling. They are no plants for the sheltered 
corner or recess, but should be high up, well exposed to 
fresh air and sunshine. Stagnant moisture is death to 
the Dianthus, and at planting time drainage must be 
carefully looked after. Nevertheless, the novice who 
learns this much sometimes goes wrong by fixing his 
plants in a stone heap, where insufficient soil for an adequate 
root run is available, and where the little soil there is 
will be baked bone dry the first fine week in spring. What 
is wanted is a good body of light porous soil, freely drained, 
with some surface stone to allow the herbage a dry bed 
in winter. The tendency under these conditions will be 
for some of the more robust to grow long, and eventually 
to get a lot of bare straggling stems with tufts of foliage 
at their ends. Much of this may be prevented by mulching 
with sharp gritty soil, and it will sometimes be desirable to 
peg down some of the shoots with hairpins or layering pegs 
before mulching. This treatment will be applicable to such 
as D. plumarius, and others of fairly strong growth, whilst 
the smaller tufted or cushion-like plants will require 
mulching only, the pegging down being impracticable. 
These closer-growing tufted kinds may be propagated 
by division, whilst the stouter growers will root from 
pipings or cuttings, the best time for both operations 
being as soon as possible after flowering. With at least 
