86 THE STORY OF MY ROCK GARDEN 



In quiet corners grow the dwarf leathery leaved 

 tufts of Soldanella alpina, which in Spring are sur- 

 mounted by their charming deeply fringed bells of 

 lavender, while last, but by no means least, that glorious 

 blue-flowered Columbine, Aquilegia alpina vera. 



It is surprising too, what a number of plants flourish 

 in this spongy medium, which one would least 

 consider suitable residents for moist positions. I 

 remember only two years ago finding a self-sown 

 seedling of Sedum turkestanicum growing there, which 

 much to my surprise, retained its habit, and even 

 flowered last year. It makes an ideal place for ger- 

 minating seeds, especially those one does not desire. 



There is, not far from my bog bed, a laburnum tree, 

 and I believe one hundred per cent, of the seeds that 

 blow on to the moist soil germinate, necessitating 

 constant weeding. Still even this quality has its 

 advantages, for when one has a few houseleeks, which 

 have fallen off from their parent clump, and are found 

 in an almost desiccated state of dryness, by placing the 

 right way up on the peaty soil, they throw out numerous 

 roots in a week or so, and are then easily transplanted 

 to a more natural habitat. 



DWARF TREES. 



In most nurserymen's lists of Alpine plants there is 

 usually included a section dealing with dwarf trees 

 principally conifers suitable for use in the rock garden. 



