THE FLOftAL WOKLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 5 



must have majesty of aspect and richness of colour ; and to give 

 them a perfect right to the place they occupy, the owner should 

 have a story to tell about them — when and where quarried, the 

 cubic measurement and weight of each block, the nature of the 

 strata to which they belong, and whatever details of geological or 

 geographical interest may attach to them. If a philosopher can give 

 you a lour hours' lecture on a wayside pebble, surely your minera- 

 logical ornaments must be capable of yielding some items of amuse- 

 ment and instruction. 



About flower-gardens, and all bright orderly scenes, every bit of 

 rough stone should be made beautiful with flowers. A very few 

 plants will in such cases produce an effect, for there is no position 

 in which flowers look more grateful to the eye than when springing 

 from the clefts of a boulder, or the sides or summit of a dark mound. 

 The eye is arrested at once, and art seems to have set a chaplet on 

 the brow of nature. All creeping and trailing plants that flower 

 gaily, and that endure a season, are suitable, except of course those 

 of large growth ; and where the bank does not offer a suitable soil 

 for them, ten minutes' labour with a trowel will suffice to remove a 

 stone or two, or the soil from between them, so as to make room for 

 sufficient of the proper compost in which the plant will prosper. If 

 sandy loam, with a moderate admixture of leaf-mould and well- 

 rotted manure, is used in the construction of the mound, a foot deep 

 all over its exterior, there is scarcely anything you may wish to 

 plant in it but is sure to flourish. Plants that spread or trail, such 

 as geraniums, verbenas, and petunias, will suit better than those of 

 stiff growth, such as asters or chrysanthemums. They should be 

 gay ones too, and but sparingly planted. 



For very dry elevated positions the most useful deciduous trees 

 are Thorns, Caraganas, Halimodendron argenteum, Kolreuteria 

 paniculata, Althaea frutex, Euonyinus europaeus, Gleditschia horrida, 

 Ornus europaeus, Pyrus aucuparia, Rhus cotin us, Rhus glabra, Rhus 

 typhina, Eobinia pseudo- acacia. 



The evergreens most likely to thrive in dry elevated sites are 

 common Box, Holly, several species of Cistus, Cotoneaster, Gre- 

 villea rosmarinifolia, Rhamnus latifolius. 



A SELECTION OF ONE HUNDRED ALPINE AND HARDY PERENNIALS 

 SUITABLE FOR ROCKERIES. 



Achillaea millefolium rubra, Alyssum saxatile compactum, Andro- 

 meda hypnoides, Androsace carnea, A. ciliata, A. lactea, A. obtusi- 

 folia, Anemone vitifolia, Antennaria tomentosa, Arabis albida, A. 

 lucida variegata, Aretia vitaliana, Aubrietia Campbelli, A. deltoidea 

 grandiflora, A. purpurea variegata, Campanula aggregata, C. alpina, 

 Cheiranthus alpinus, Chimaphila umbellata, Cistus formosus, Cycla- 

 men coum, C. gra?cum, Dianthus alpinus, D. ca>sius, D. glacialis, 

 Dictamnus fraxinella, Brigeron speciosus, Eritrichium nanum, 

 Erpetion reniforme (elegant little plants of the violet family, well 

 adapted for rockwork, growing in sandy peat, and easily increased 

 by separating their runners. They require, however, protection 



January. 



