254 



ALPINE FLOWERS FOR GARDENS 



[PART II. 



Linum salsoloides (Heath Flax). A 

 hardy, dwarf, half -shrubby species, some- 

 what like a dwarf Heath, with the stem 

 twisted at the base, from 3 to 6 inches high, 

 blooming in June and July ; white with 

 a purple centre. A native of the South 

 of Europe, this plant is well adapted for 

 the rock-garden, in well-drained sandy 

 soil. 



L. viscpsum (Viscid Flax).*K&\i~ 

 shrubby, slightly branching downy stems ; 

 about 1 foot high. Flowering in summer ; 

 lilac, with deeper veins, nearly 1 inch 

 across. The rock-garden, in moist sandy 

 loam. Seed and division. Pyrenees. 



LIPPIA (Fog Fruit). L. nodifiora 

 is a dwarf perennial creeper of the 

 Verbena order, bearing in summer 

 heads of pretty pink blooms. It 

 grows in any situation or soil, and is 

 a good plant for quickly covering bare 

 spaces in the rock-garden. Division. 

 Southern United States, and California. 



LITHOSPERMUM (Gromwell) 

 Dwarf, half-shrubby, very beautiful 

 plants of the Forget-me-not order, but 

 unhappily not hardy in our country, 

 except in the best conditions of cul- 

 ture. The warmest part of the rock- 

 garden is the best for them. But 

 they come from the burning rocks 

 and sands of Spain and North Africa, 

 and though they promise much, few 

 survive our hard winters. 



Lithospermum Petrseum (Rock Grom- 

 well). A neat dwarf shrub, in colour some- 

 what like a small Lavender bush. Late in 

 May or early in June all the little grey 

 shoots of the dwarf bush begin to show 

 small, oblong, purplish heads, and early in 

 July the plant is in full blossom, the flowers 

 of a fine violet blue, with protruded 

 anthers of a deep orange red, the buds of 

 a reddish-lilac. The flowers are barely 

 more than a quarter of an inch long, and 

 tubular, not at all open, but as every shoot 

 is crested by a densely-packed head of 

 flowers, the effect is pretty and distinct. 

 The best position for this plant is some- 

 where on a level with the eye, on a well- 



drained, deep, but rather dryish sandy soil 

 on the sunny side. Dalmatia and Southern 

 Europe ; cuttings, or seeds, if they can be 

 obtained. 



Lithospermum Prostratum (Gentian- 

 bine Gromwell}, A charming little ever- 

 green spreading plant, having lovely blue 

 flowers, with faint reddish- violet stripes, 

 about half an inch across, in profusion where 

 it is well grown. A native of Spain and 

 the South of France, easily propagated by 

 cuttings, and valuable as a rock-plant 

 from its prostrate habit and the fine 

 colour of its flowers a blue scarcely sur- 

 passed by that of the Gentians. It may 

 be planted so as to let its prostrate shoots 

 fall down the sunny face of a rocky nook, 

 or allowed to spread into flat tufts on level 

 spots. In cold or wet soil it should be 

 raised on banks, and planted in sandy 

 earth. 



L. purpureo-cceruleum, a British plant, 

 L. Gastoni and L. canescens are also worthy 

 of culture in large collections, but the 

 tender nature of most of the kinds limits 

 their use in our country. 



LLOYDIA SEROTINA.-A small 

 bulbous Liliaceous plant, frequently 

 seen as soon as the snow melts, in 

 flower by the alpine pathways. It is 

 most suitable for botanical collections. 

 Alps. 



LOISELEURIA PROCUMBENS. 



In a wild state on the Alps, or on 

 mountain moors, this is a wiry trailing 

 shrub, growing quite close to the 

 ground, the plants occasionally form- 

 ing a rather dense tuft, bearing small 

 reddish flowers in spring, when the 

 snow melts. It is very rarely seen 

 in a thriving state under cultivation, 

 and most of the plants transferred 

 from the mountains to gardens usually 

 perish. This is sometimes owing to 

 the finest plants being selected instead 

 of the younger ones. I never saw it 

 in such perfect health in a garden as 

 in that of the late Mr Borrer, in 

 Sussex, where it flourished in com.- 



