294 



ALPINE FLOWERS FOR GARDENS 



[p ART 



leading from north to south ; having 

 leaves in rosettes spreading very 

 close to the ground, blistered, 

 deeply wrinkled, and densely covered 

 with short hairs quite shaggy beneath 

 and on the leaf-stalk. The shady 

 side of rocks or moist depressions, or 

 the shade of evergreen bushes, suits 

 them best in any free soil. I have 

 seen them succeed well as edgings to 

 beds of evergreen bushes in peat soil. 

 They are increased by division only 



and the whole should be moist 

 always. They may be increased 

 from the leaves, breaking off the 

 leaf close to the plant, and pegging 

 the foot-stalk into sandy peat, keeping 

 the soil meanwhile moist and the 

 leaves fresh by covering with a bell- 

 glass. 



Ramondia pyrenaica form rosettes of 

 leaves, deeply wrinkled, and covered with 

 brown, shaggy hairs on the under surf'are 

 and the lower parts of the leaf -stalk. The 



w 



Ramondia pyrenaica. 



when the rosettes are clustered together, 

 and then it must be done with care, 

 owing to the closely-nestling character 

 of the leaves and the few roots. To 

 raise them from seed we should take 

 care that the flowers are fertilised ; 

 with ^ood seed growth is quick, and 

 flowering plants may be had in two 

 years. A mixture of peat and plenty 

 of sand, with sandstone the size of 

 Cobnuts, forms a capital compost, 



leaves spread out close upon tin- soil, and 

 the flower-Stalks emerge from beneath the 

 leafage in the month of June or earlier. 

 Usually there are three flowers to each 

 stem, though on strong plants as many 

 as five are round, each naving a diameter 

 of 1 inch or rather more, purplish-violet 

 in colour, and having a rich orange eye or 

 centre. There is a white variely, and 

 i here, is more than one white-flowered 

 kind, one a pure and spotless flower. 



R. Nataliae is a rare plant from Servia, 

 having light purple flowers with orange 



