148 



ALPINE FLOWERS FOR GARDENS 



[PART II. 



Armeria, but the plants form branch- 

 ing, cushion-like tufts; the leaves 

 rigid and spiny. They are dwarf 

 evergreen rock-garden plants, but, 

 coming from eastern regions not now 

 of easy access, are not easy to intro- 

 duce, and for this and other reasons 

 make slow progress in gardens. They 

 are beautiful plants, flowering usually 

 in July and August, when many of 

 the early flowers are past. Slow in 

 growth and difficult to increase as 

 regards their general propagation, and 



Acantholimon venustum (Prickly Thrift). 



where large plants of the rare kinds 

 exist, it is a good plan to work some 

 cocoa-nut fibre and sand in equal 

 parts into the tufts in early autumn. 

 Before working in this material, some 

 of the shoots should be gently torn, 

 so as to half sever them at a heel 

 or junction; then gently work in 

 more material around, and water to 

 settle the soil. Many of the growths 

 thus treated will root by spring. 

 Cuttings made in the ordinary way 

 are by no means certain, but when 



this method is adopted, August or 

 September is the best time. All 

 cuttings so-called should be torn off 

 with a heel and inserted without 

 further ado. 



Acantholimon glumaceum is the best 

 known as the most vigorous grower, form- 

 ing cushions of narrow dark green leaves, 

 spiny at the point, and spikes of rose- 

 coloured flowers from June to August. 

 At Tooting, many years ago, this species 

 formed an edging a foot or more wide, and 

 about 150 feet long, and when in flower 

 was a pretty sight. 



A. venustum. A delightful plant 

 when seen in good condition. I lost the 

 finest specimen I have ever seen during the 

 great frost of 1895. The plant, unfortun- 

 ately, had been left fully exposed with 

 other alpines in pots. This lovely species 

 in the summer of 1894 produced some 

 forty spikes of its pink blossoms. The 

 tufts are dark green, with a slightly 

 greyish or glaucous tint overlying the 

 same. This species is of much slower 

 growth than A. glumaceum, and requires 

 some good sandy loam, with leaf-soil and 

 broken brick rubbish mixed freely with 

 the soil. It bears its rose-pink flowers 

 in July, on one-sided, slightly arching 

 spikes, and is certainly one of the most 

 charming of midsummer alpines. Firm 

 planting, a rather sheltered spot, and a 

 deep soil, well-drained, should be given. 

 Cilicia. 



A. androsaceum. This species is 

 distinguished by the more dense tufts 

 which it forms when established, as 

 also by the rosettes being less spiny. 

 This is not so much due to the spines 

 as to the pliant nature of the leaves. It 

 is of easy culture, spreads somewhat freely 

 over a ledge of rock, and bears pink 

 blossoms on sprays 4 inches high. 



A. acerosum. The dense character of 

 this species and the grey glaucous hue of 

 the leaves at a short distance, remind one 

 of Dianthus ccesius. A closer inspection, 

 or even an unwary placing of the hand 

 upon the spines, will quickly dispel any 

 such idea, since the snort, greyish glau- 

 cous leaves are the most spiny of all. 



