250 



ALPINE FLOWERS FOR GARDENS 



[PART II. 



even naturalised in riverside soils ; 

 one or two of the smaller ones are 

 very pretty, coming out of tufts of 

 low plants in the spring, particularly 

 the vernal Snowflake. 



Leucojum vernum (Spriiig Snowflake). 

 A dwarf, stout, broad-leaved plant, like a 

 Galanthus, but with larger and handsomer 

 flowers, and appearing about a month later 

 than the Snowdrop ; fragrant, the segments 



as a continental plant, and was valued 

 and grown in our gardens, when hardy 

 flowers were more esteemed than they 

 are at present ; but its existence as a 

 true native was not known with certainty 

 till recent years ago, when it was found 

 in abundance, on the " Greenstone heights, 

 in the neighbourhood of Britford." It is 

 not by any means a common plant, and 

 those who have it would do well to place 

 it in positions where it is likely to thrive 



Edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum). (Engraved from a photograph by Mr G. S. Symons, 

 Chaddlewood, Plympton.) 



white, an inch long, and each distinctly 

 marked with a green or yellowish spot 

 near the point, drooping and usually pro- 

 duced singly on stems from 4 to 6 inches 

 high. It is more worthy of cultivation 

 than the Snowdrop, and that is as high 

 praise as we can give to any dwarf spring- 

 flowering plant. It has long been known 



in light, rich, well-drained soil, or in 

 borders, and as, after the plant has 

 flowered, the leaves attain the length 

 of nearly a foot, and are nearly or quite 

 three-quarters of an inch across, a sheltered 

 position, where they may not be torn by 

 winds, will be best. It is apt to dwindle 

 on some cold soils. 



