238 HARDY PERENNIALS AND 



Saxifraga Burseriana. 



BURSER'S SAXIFRAGE ; Nat. Ord. SAXIPRAGACE^E. 

 A HARDY evergreen alpine. A native of Carniola, not long 

 discovered, and quite new to English gardens. Though it 

 belongs to a very extensive genus, it is a distinct species ; many 

 of the Saxifrages are not so, neither are they sufficiently decora- 

 tive to merit a place in any but large or scientific gardens. This 

 one, however, is a truly handsome kind, and its flowers are pro- 

 duced amid the snow and during the bleak and dull weather of 

 mid-winter. 



The plant in form is a dense cushion of little spiked rosettes, 

 of a dark green colour, slightly silvered. The flowers are pro- 

 duced on bright ruddy stems Sin. high, and are creamy white, 

 nearly the size of a sixpence. Small as the plant is, a moderate 

 sized specimen is very attractive, especially before the flowers 

 open, when they are in their prettiest form. They open slowly 

 and endure nearly two months. 



It enjoys light soil and a well drained situation, such as the 

 edge of a border, where strong growing kinds cannot damage it, 

 or on rockwork, where it will be fully exposed to the sun. To be 

 effective, it should be grown into strong clumps, which may 

 easily be done by annually giving a top-dressing of leaf -mould ; 

 the older parts of the plant will remain perfectly sound and 

 healthy for years. When it is desirable to propagate it, it may 

 best be done in April, when the tufts should be carefully divided, 

 and its short roots made firm in the soil by one or two stones 

 being placed near. 



Flowering period, January to April. 



Saxifraga Caesia. 



SILVER Moss, or GREY SAXIFRAGE ; Nat. Ord. 



SAXIFRAGACE^J. 



ONE of the alpine gems. This has been grown in English 

 gardens since 1752, yet good specimens are rarely met with, 

 though its culture is simple and easy. It is found wild on the 

 Alps of Switzerland, Austria, and the Pyrenees. To the lover 

 of the minute forms of genuine alpine plants, this will be a 

 treasure ; it is very distinct in form, habit, and colour. Its tiny 

 rosettes of encrusted leaves can scarcely be said to rise from the 

 ground, and the common name, " silver moss," which it is often 

 called by, most fittingly applies ; but perhaps its colour is the 

 main feature of notice. The meaning of its specific name is grey, 

 to which it certainly answers ; but so peculiar is the greyness that 

 a more definite description may be useful, in giving which I will 

 quote that of Decandolle and Sprengle : " The lavender-blue is a 

 pale blue (csesius) ; it is mixed with a little grey." This exactly 



