DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF THE BEST KINDS 235 



from Crete, is of sub-shrubby growth, some twelve inches 

 high, and bears yellow flowers in May. The Flaxes are 

 readily raised from seed sown in spring or summer. 



Lithospermum (Gromwell). Lithospermum prostra- 

 tum, the only one in common cultivation, is a lovely 

 evergreen, of low sub-shrubby growth, that bears flowers 

 of brilliant blue in May and June. A variety called 

 Heavenly Blue is finer than the type. It is native of 

 Southern France, and belongs to the Borage family 

 (Bomgineae) . A soil consisting of half peat and half sandy 

 loam suits it ; it should be among rocks so that its little 

 branches may fall over them, or on a gentle slope. The 

 site should be well drained, or the plant is apt to deteriorate 

 in winter. It is propagated by cuttings of firm wood 

 taken in July. 



Lychnis (Campion). Perhaps the greatest value of 

 the Campions, which belong to the Pink family (Cary- 

 ophyllaceae), lies in their usefulness for the herbaceous 

 border. Many are of tall and striking habit, and the 

 colour of the flowers ranges from pure white to scarlet 

 and deep rose. They are amongst the easiest of plants 

 to grow, doing well in light rich soil. Those of dwarf 

 and compact habit, suitable for the rock garden, are 

 comparatively few in number. L. alpina may be described 

 as a very diminutive form of the well-known L. Viscaria. 

 Native of the European Alps and found also in Britain, 

 it is a pretty plant, only an inch or two high, and may 

 be grown in very gritty soil. It yields seed freely, which 

 should be sown as soon as ripe in order to have flowering 



