278 



ALPINE FLOWERS FOR GARDENS 



[PART IT. 



which thrive well planted between the 

 shruhs. 



Pieris floribunda. A native of the 

 United States, and forming a compact 

 evergreen bush. The racemes form in 

 October and do not open until the fol- 

 lowing spring, and carry numerous white 

 flowers. It is a shrub of easy culture. 



P. formosa. In seaside and west- 

 country gardens this is a valuable shrub, 

 the leaves when young of a reddish 

 colour, changing with age to a deep 

 green. The flowers, which are white, 

 borne in a cluster of erect branching 

 racemes, are pendent and almost globular. 

 Himalayas. 



P. japonica. A most graceful evergreen 

 bush, with long clusters of flowers, giving a 

 lace-like effect in the case of well-grown 

 bushes. It is hardy, but slow and poor 

 on loamy soils, thriving on good peat, and 

 should be associated with the choicest 

 evergreens. A precious bush for the rock- 

 garden on peaty or leafy soils. 



Other kinds of less importance for the 

 rock-garden are : P. Mariana from North 

 America ; P. nitida, P. ovalifolia. Syn., 

 Andromeda. 



PINGUICULA (Buttencort). Inter- 

 esting dwarf perennials, natives of 

 Alpine and Arctic bogs or wet rocky 

 slopes. 



Pinguicula Grandiflora (Irish Butter- 

 wort). Leaves in rosettes, light green, 

 fleshy, and glistening flowers, handsome, 

 two-lipped, spurred like the Horned Violet, 

 more than an inch long, nearly or quite an 

 inch across, of a fine blue. Mr Bentham 

 unites this with the less beautiful P. vul- 

 garisj but Mr Syme says : " 1 cannot con- 

 ceive how any one who has seen the plants 

 alive can consider them as the same 

 species" ; and as P. grandiflora has flowers 

 twice as large asvwfyam,and is a handsomer 

 plant, it is the kind best worthy of cultiva- 

 tion. It inhabits bogs and wet heaths in 

 the south-west of Ireland, and thrives in 

 moist mossy spots on the northern and 

 shady slopes of the rock-garden or in more 

 open places in moist peat soil. Increased 

 by small green bulbils, which are given off 

 at the base of the rosettes. 



Pinguicula Alpina (A Ipim Butterwort) 

 differs from other kinds in having white 

 flowers, marked more or less with lemon- 

 yellow on the lip, but sometimes tinted with 

 pale pink. It roots firmly, by means of 

 strong woody fibres, and prefers peaty 

 soil, mingled with shale or rough gravel, 

 and shady humid positions, such as is 

 afforded by a rock-garden with a north 

 aspect. A Scottish plant. Ross and Skye. 



P. vallisneriaefolia, from the mountains 

 of Spain, differs in its clustered habit of 

 growth. Its leaves are pale yellowisli- 

 green, and sometimes almost transparent, 

 occasionally even 7 inches towards the end 

 of the season. The flowers are large, soft 

 lilac colour, with conspicuous white or 

 pale centres. Dripping fissures and ledges 

 of calcareous rocks (frequently in tufa) suit 

 the plant, but it requires free drainage, 

 and continuous moisture. 



P. lusitanica, found on the west coast 

 of Scotland, South England, and in Ireland, 

 is small, and has pale lilac flowers. It 

 grows in peaty bogs. 



P. vulgaris, a native plant, grows 

 freely in any sunny position in rich moist 

 peat or peaty loam. A small form, with 

 leaves like those of P. Alpina, both in 

 form and colour, is found in alpine bogs in 

 the north of England. 



PLATYCODON. P. grandi/lorum, 

 sometimes called Campanula grandi- 

 flora, is a handsome perennial, hardy 

 in light dry soils, but impatient 

 of damp arid undrained situations, 

 where its thick fleshy roots decay. 

 The flowers are 2 to 3 inches across, 

 deep blue with a slight slaty shade, 

 and in clusters at the end of each 

 branch, and handsome in all forms. 

 Rich loamy soil, good drainage, and 

 an open situation are best. Propagate 

 by seeds, which can be readily pro- 

 cured. The variety Mariesi is distinct 

 and good. China and Japan. 



PLUMBAGO LARPENT^E (Hardy 

 P.) A dwarf, herbaceous perennial, 

 once cultivated in greenhouses, but 

 now found to be hardy, and a first- 



