92 ALPINE FLOWERS [PART I. 



" So much for the seeds in their seed-pots. Now a word or 

 two as to the treatment of the plants afterwards. My practice 

 is to pot off, as soon as they are sufficiently strong to handle, 

 as many as are required, in 3- or 4-inch pots, say three 

 in each pot. In these they will grow well during the summer, 

 and become thoroughly rooted, ready for consigning to their 

 final habitat, be it rock-garden or border, in the early part 

 of spring, after the borders have been roughly raked over; 

 thus giving them ample time to establish themselves before 

 autumn arrives, and their enemy, the spade, is likely to come 

 in their way. Failing a supply of pots sufficient for all, some 

 of the stronger-growing ones may be planted in a sheltered bed 

 of light soil, care being taken to shade them for a few days 

 after being planted ; or a few old boxes, ' 5 or 6 inches deep, 

 may be used with even greater advantage for the same purpose, 

 as they may readily be moved from the shady side of a wall 

 to a more sunny locality after they have sufficiently recovered 

 the process of transplanting ; and, finally, they may receive the 

 shelter of a cold frame as soon as winter sets in. This recom- 

 mendation must not be considered as indicative of their inability 

 to stand the cold weather, but as a preventive of the mechanical 

 action of frost, which, in some soils especially, is apt to loosen 

 their root-hold, and force the young plants, roots and all, to the 

 surface. 



"In the case of the smaller-growing alpines, such as the 

 Drabas, Arabises, etc., I generally find that they stand the first 

 winter best in pots of the smallest size, and in this form they 

 may be the more readily inserted in interstices of rocks, where 

 they will permanently establish themselves." 



WATERING ALPINE AND ROCK PLANTS. 



The notion that alpine plants want shade arises from the 

 fact that those placed in the shade do not perish so soon 

 from drought as those in the sun. The reason that alpine plants 

 perish so soon on bare flower-borders, the surface of which may 



