160 



ALPINE FLOWERS FOR GARDENS 



[PART II. 



It is somewhat too vigorous for the 

 rock-garden, as are all the forms of the 

 Japan Windflower. 



Anemone alpina (Alpine Windflower). 

 On nearly every great mountain range 

 in northern and temperate climes, this 

 is one of the most frequent plants. It 

 may be seen in various stages on the 

 same day, and on the lower terraces of 

 the great mountains and on the green 

 slopes of the valleys, it grows as tall as 

 in our gardens. The interior of the 

 flower is white, the outside tinted with 

 pale purplish-blue. It flowers in its 

 native country as the snow disappears, 



in open, rather bare, and unmown spots 

 along the margins of wood walks, being 

 more free in growth than the common 

 Hepatica. 



Anemone apennina (Apennine Wind- 

 flower). This has erect flowers of a fine 

 blue, starlike, larger in size than a half- 

 crown piece, paler on the outside than 

 within, and thickly scattered over a low 

 cushion of soft green leaves. Although 

 figured in most of our works on British 

 plants, and naturalised in various places, 

 it is not a true native ; but the hardiest 

 of our native plants take not more kindly 

 to our clime. It is one of the hardy 



Alpine Windflower. 



and in our gardens at the end of April 

 or in the beginning of May. When plants 

 are well established in good soil, they 

 may be taken up and divided ; it may 

 be raised from seed. Sometimes the 

 flowers are yellow, in which state the 

 plant is known as A. sulphured. 



A. angUlosa (Great Hepatica). This 

 is larger than the common Hepatica, with 

 flowers of a fine sky-blue, as large as a 

 crown piece, and with five-lobed leaves. 

 It thrives in spaces between American 

 plants and choice dwarf shrubs, as well as 

 on the rock-garden. Where plentiful, it 

 may be used as an edging to beds of 

 spring-flowering shrubs, and for planting 



spring flowers, and, among the best plants 

 that gem the Apennine hills, there is 

 not one more worthy of being naturalised. 

 It flowers in March and April, is readily 

 increased by division, and grows from 

 6 inches to 10 inches high. 



A. blanda (Greek Windflower}. A very 

 lovely, dwarf, hardy plant, with flowers 

 of a deep sapphire blue, opening in the 

 dawn of spring, during mild open winters, 

 and in warm districts showing as early 

 as Christmas, flowering continuously too. 

 From the harder and smoother texture 

 of the leaves, it can stand exposure to 

 cutting winds even better than the 

 Apennine Anemone. It has every good 



