PART II.] 



ALPINE FLOWERS FOR GARDENS 



167 



bright yellow of the petals. It is a 

 slender grower, about 1 foot in height, with 

 sharply-notched leaves, and is easily raised 

 from seed. There is a yellow form. 

 Writing of this species, Mr W. Falconer 

 says : " To see it at its best, you should 

 see it among the rocks, where it grows 

 in abundance in our woods, and always 

 in high rocky places ; there it springs 

 from the narrowest chink, a little bush 

 of leaves and flowers, or maybe in an 

 earthy mat upon a rock you find a colony 

 of Columbines, Virginian Saxifrages, and 

 pale Corydalis ; they usually grow to- 

 gether." 



Aquilegia chrysantha (Golden Colum- 

 bine). This plant was at first by persons 

 who look at herbarium distinctions only, 

 erroneously supposed to be a variety of the 

 Blue Columbine, and named such by 

 Torrey and Gray. After cultivating the 

 plant, however, for several years, Dr 

 Gray described it as a new species. The 

 plant comes from a different geographical 

 range, grows taller, flowers nearly a 

 month later, and blooms for two months 

 continuously. It has a very long and 

 slender spur, often over 2 inches in 

 length, is hardy, and thrives even on 

 the stiff clay soils north of London, and 

 enjoys wet, though it is none the less 

 free in more happy situations. It comes 

 true from seed, which is best raised under 

 glass, the seedlings being pricked out 

 carefully when young. Attaining a height 

 of 4 feet under good culture, it is a fine 

 plant for grouping among the shrubs of 

 the rock-garden. It would be a pity if 

 such a distinct, beautiful, hardy plant 

 should degenerate in our gardens, by 

 crossing with other kinds. 



A. csBnilea (Blue Columbine). Beauti- 

 ful and distinct, the spurs of the flower 

 almost as slender as a thread, a couple 

 of inches long, twisted, and with green 

 tips. It is in the blue and white erect 

 flower that the beauty lies, the effect 

 being even better than in the blue and 

 white form of the alpine Columbine. It 

 is a hardy plant, blooming rather early in 

 summer, and continuing a long time in 

 flower. It grows from 12 inches to 15 

 inches high, and is worthy of the choicest 

 position on the rock-garden, Unlike the 



Golden Columbine, it is not a true 

 perennial on many soils, though a better 

 report in this respect comes from the cool 

 hill gardens. To get strong healthy plants 

 that will flower freely, seeds of this kind 

 should be sown annually, and treated 

 after the manner of biennals, as it rarely 

 does well after standing the second year, 

 and in many cases dies out before that 

 time. The flowers are, however, so lovely 

 and so useful for cutting, that it is de- 

 serving of care to have it in good 

 condition. 



This is one of the plants which deserve 

 a home in the nursery in a choice little 

 bed to itself, from which its flowers could 

 be gathered for the house. The seed is 

 best sown as soon as may be after it is 

 ripe, in cool frames near the glass, or in 

 rough boxes in cool frames. With abund- 

 ance of fresh seed, there will be no 

 difficulty in raising it in fine beds of 

 soil in the open air, protecting the beds 

 from birds or slugs. The seed is usually too 

 precious to risk in the open air. 



What is supposed to be a white variety 

 of this plant is sometimes called A. 

 leptoceras, which was indeed the first name 

 given to the plant. 



" M.," writing from Utah, says : " Some 

 plants of this species seen in Utah seem 

 to belong to a distinct variety ; their 

 colour is not blue, or blue and white, 

 but pure white or yellowish-white. They 

 were flowering in great quantity 10,000 

 feet above the sea, wherever any tiny 

 stream trickled down the mountain slopes, 

 and the flowers at a little distance re- 

 minded one more of those of Eucharis 

 amazonica than anything else. The plant 

 grows in handsome tufts 2 feet or 3 feet 

 high, the flowers large and broad, and 

 the spurs very long (2 inches at least), 

 with a rounded knob at the top." 



Aauilegia fragrans (Fragrant Colum- 

 bine). This is very distinct, growing about 

 1 foot high, with downy, somewhat clammy 

 leaves, and very free-flowering. The flowers 

 are pale yellow or straw, with short hooked 

 spurs. Himalayas. 



A. glandulosa (Altai Columbine). A 

 beautiful species, with handsome blue 

 and white flowers, and a tufted habit, 

 flowering in early summer a fine blije. 



