THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



355 



A pretty species, with purplish flowers, 

 arranged in several spreading and recurved 

 branchlets, bird's-foot fashion, with numerous 

 spreading steins. It is abundant in North 

 America, and in France is a good deal used 

 for edging. It is also appropriate for the 

 rock-garden or the front margin of a mixed 

 border, growing in any soil, and flowering in 

 summer. 



S. rupestre (Rock Stonecrop). A densely- 

 tufted native plant, with rather loose corymbs 

 of yellow flowers, and spreading shoots gene- 

 rally rooting at the base, but quite erect at 

 the top. It is used as an edging or border plant. 

 There are several similar kinds, such as the 

 glaucous-leaved S. pruinatiim ; S. Fosteria- 

 jiiti/i, with light green leaves ; and S. reflexum, 

 of which there are several varieties, including 

 tristatum, a curious crested variety, some- 



January in gentle heat, plunging the pot in 

 water before sowing, so that the soil may not 

 get dry. As soon as large enough pot off 

 singly. If well watered, they ought by the 

 end of the summer to be as large as a crown - 

 piece. During autumn and winter the plants 

 must only be just kept moist enough to keep 

 their leaves fresh. Wrongly called Umbilicus 

 sempervivum, this being quite a distinct plant. 

 Asia Minor and the Caucasus. 



S. Sieboldi. A well-known kind frequently 

 grown in pots. Its roundish leaves are glau- 

 cous, and in late autumn often assume a 

 lovely rosy-coral hue. They are in whorls 

 of three on numerous stems, which in autumn 

 bear soft rosy flowers which look pretty in 

 pots, small baskets, or vases. The plant is 

 hardy, and merits a place in the rock-garden, 

 especially where its branches may fall without 



Sedum kamtschaticum. 



times known as monstrosutn or fasciatum. 

 S. album, another native kind, has brownish- 

 green leaves and white or pinkish flowers. 

 Like the Stonecrop, it occurs on old roofs and 

 rocky places in many parts of Europe. All 

 these kinds are worth naturalising on walls or 

 old ruins, in places where they do not occur 

 naturally, also on the margins of the pathways 

 and the less important surfaces of the rock- 

 garden. 



8. sempervivoides (Scarlet Stonecrop}. 

 This beautiful kind has rosettes of leaves like 

 those of the common Houseleek (Sempervivum 

 tectorum}, and the brilliant scarlet flowers 

 form a dense head similar to the well-known 

 Rochea falcata. It dies after flowering, and is 

 not hardy, but during summer grows freely on 

 a dry bank. In winter it stands dry frost, but 

 frost and wet combined are fatal to it. Seeds 

 germinate freely, and should be sown in 



touching the earth and its graceful habit may 

 be well seen ; but, except in favoured places, 

 it does not make strong growth. There is a 

 variegated variety, more tender than the ordi- 

 nary form. Japan. Division. 



S. spectabile. This is distinct and beauti- 

 ful, erect, and with broad glaucous leaves. Its 

 rosy-purple flowers appear in dense broad 

 corymbs about the middle of August, and 

 remain in perfection for two months or more. 

 The glaucous foliage, even before the flowers 

 come, is a pleasant relief to any high-coloured 

 plant that may be near it. It withstands 

 extreme cold, heat, or wet, and unlike most 

 plants will grow and flower to perfection in 

 shaded places, thriving in any soil. Varieties 

 with darker flowers have recently come to 

 light, the best being atropurputeum, with 

 flowers of rich dark crimson-purple. Japan. 



S. Stahlii. A new kind and one of the 



