94 THE NEW GARDENING 



be drawn away. If slugs gather under its protecting 

 masses they will be discovered and destroyed. In the 

 Aubrietias we are coming to this most happy consum- 

 mation, and they may be fairly chosen as typical of the 

 development which is going on with Alpine plants. 

 Kinds have been produced in some cases hybrids, 

 in others selected seedlings which have real beauty 

 of bloom, and are greatly superior to the old species. 

 No longer can it be said that the purple Rock Cress 

 is a commonplace flower, devoid of other interest than 

 that of bulk. In modern varieties we have large flowers 

 of good form, with brilliant colours. A small clump can 

 hold its own for beauty with the rest of rock plants. 

 The plants have not, however, lost the vigour and per- 

 sistency of blooming of the older species, and become 

 a shadow of the originals. They are strong and flori- 

 ferous. I will give a brief description of some of the best 

 of the newer Aubrietias, first reminding the reader that 

 even some of the older kinds which are generally con- 

 sidered to be species are really only varieties. The 

 number of true species is, indeed, very small. The best 

 known is deltoidea, a native of the Levant, whence it 

 was introduced in 1710. It has purple flowers, but the 

 colour is variable. On limestone soil I find that as spring 

 merges into summer the plants, while still extending 

 rapidly and in robust health, exhibit a complete change 

 of colour. The purple fades to a deep bronzy rose, 

 hardly less pleasing than the original hue. It is easy 

 to perceive, from this variability, that a person growing 

 a large number of seedlings would have the opportunity 

 of making selections, which, with care, could be fixed 

 to a new hue. Examples of varieties of deltoidea which 

 are often grown as species are Campbelli, which is grown 

 as a species under the name of Hendersoni ; Eyrei, 



