248 ROGK GARDENING FOR AMATEURS 



and valuable plants for the rock garden. It is a large 

 and varied genus, but the really good kinds are com- 

 paratively few. The alpine species are not grown to 

 the extent that they deserve to be, yet their cultivation 

 is attended by no great difficulty. Sandy loam with ample 

 drainage, and plenty of moisture, will meet the require- 

 ments of most. R. aconitifolius (Fair Maids of France), 

 although not an alpine, is a beautiful and useful plant 

 for the edges of streams in the rock garden. It is widely 

 distributed in Europe. Growing about two feet high, it 

 forms a bushy plant, covered in spring with numerous 



white flowers. It is 

 increased by division. 

 R. alpestris only grow r s 

 from four to six inches 

 high, and is a true 

 mountain plant from 

 the Pyrenees, found 

 usually in a calcareous soil. 

 The pure white flowers, that 

 open in June and July, are 

 large for the size of the plant, 

 and have a cluster of yellow 

 stamens in the centre. It 

 should be planted in a loamy 

 soil, with plenty of leaf-soil and 

 grit, and have plenty of mois- 

 ture when in growth. R. am- 

 plexicaulis is one of the best 



An Alpine Buttercup 

 (Ranunculus). 



