22 SUB-ALPINE PLANTS 



and allowed fresh air daily. They should be kept uniformly moist, 

 but not too moist. When the young shoots have grown some size 

 and become rooted they should be gradually accustomed to the 

 open air until ready to be transplanted. Many of the Helian- 

 themums, or Rock-roses, can be grown from cuttings in a properly 

 prepared bed in a sheltered position in the open. 



Lastly, those Alpine plants which have runners, such as Linncza 

 borealis, can be increased by merely detaching separate pieces 

 and replanting them firmly in shaded beds or in pots. Some of the 

 dwarf Campanulas with a creeping rootstock can be similarly 

 treated. Some hard-wooded shrubs, such as Azalea, certain 

 Daphnes, and Rhododendrons, which don't ripen their seeds in this 

 country, and are difficult to strike from cuttings, can be increased 

 by layering. A suitable branch near the ground is chosen, cut 

 half through near a joint, and then pegged down firmly and covered 

 with a compost of loam and sand an inch or two deep. If by the 

 following spring roots have been formed, the layered portion can 

 then be cut from the old stock. 



The greater number of sub-alpine plants which grow in the woods 

 and meadows, and many of the true Alpines, may, if desired, be 

 treated like ordinary garden plants. Even forty years ago this was 

 realised by Messrs. James Backhouse and Son, who said in issuing 

 their Catalogue for 1871 : ' A large proportion of the truly Alpine 

 species, which find their natural home in the crevices of rocks at a 

 great elevation, grow with perfect ease in an open border in ordinary 

 loamy soil. And, strange to say, some that succeed with difficulty 

 on artificial rockwork, flourish well under such circumstances, 

 and thus bring within the range of every garden a large and varied 

 amount of beauty.' Many could be planted in turf, and perhaps 

 some of the woodland denizens might be tried under trees, where 

 little else will grow, provided the foliage is not very dense. Some 

 of the Orchids, Butterworts, Parnassia, Primula farinosa, and 

 many others frequenting damp places, should have a peat or bog 

 garden prepared for them at the foot of the rockery. 



