PART II.] 



ALPINE FLOWERS FOR GARDENS 



229 



green membranes), and bearing rich 

 yellow flowers in summer ; the shoots 

 are usually prostrate, and the plant is 

 rarely more than 6 inches high. It is 

 met with in the grass in the mountain 

 pastures of many parts of Europe. In 

 cultivation, it is hardy and vigorous in 

 the coldest soil, forming profusely flower- 

 ing tufts when fully exposed. Seed. 



Genista tinctoria (Dyer's Greenweed}. 

 A dwarf native shrub, with numerous 

 slender branches, forming compact tufts 

 from a foot to a foot and a half high, pretty 

 yellow flowers in early summer. It is 

 grown in many of our Nurseries, and merits 

 a place among rock-shrubs. There is a 

 double variety. Not unfrequent in many 

 parts of England, but rare in Scotland 

 and Ireland. 



G. tinctoria var. elatior is a tall-grow- 

 ing form from the Caucasus, which under 

 cultivation frequently grows from 4 feet 

 to 5 feet high, and bears huge paniculate 

 inflorescences. 



GENTIANA (Gentian). Alpine and 

 mountain pasture plants of classic 

 beauty and variety, some herbaceous, 

 some evergreen herbs, some annual 

 plants. Beautiful as the Gentians are 

 on the mountains of Europe and it 

 is not easy to describe their beauty 

 at its best, as, say, of a plateau of 

 acres of the vernal Gentian on the 

 Austrian Alps, or of the Bavarian 

 Gentian along the side of an alpine 

 streamlet I think I was even more 

 struck with the beauty of the American, 

 fringed, and other Gentians which do 

 not seem easy of cultivation in Britain. 

 There is no serious difficulty as "to 

 the culture of the best European 

 kinds, save, perhaps, bavarica, but the 

 American kinds are more liable to 

 perish in some of our soils. Gentians 

 are not all worthy of cultivation on 

 the rock-garden. I never could see 

 any beauty from that point of view, 

 hi the tall Gentian of the Alps (G. 

 luted), and some of the annual kinds 

 are of no value for the rock-garden, 



but there are not a few kinds among 

 the fairest of known rock plants. 



If any plants justify the formation 

 of a good rock-garden, it is these ; 

 and we should seek to get their 

 best effect from an artistic point of 

 view by, if possible, grouping them 

 in a natural way. There will be no 

 difficulty in this as regards some 

 kinds, particularly Gentianella, which 

 is very effective on some soils, and in 

 its various forms might be grouped 

 well when sufficiently increased. The 

 Willow Gentian also lends itself to 

 good effect among the bushes in the 

 rock-garden, and is readily increased. 

 One or two good kinds, well grown 

 and grouped, will be better than a 

 dozen dotty examples of ill-grown kinds, 

 however rare or curious. 



It is curious in growing the vernal 

 Gentian how little way is made, with 

 perhaps the most brilliant of alpine 

 plants that flower on the higher moun- 

 tains in late summer. There we see 

 acres of it in every sort of position ; 

 in banks by streams, in open grassy 

 places, in little green vales ; some- 

 times in wide peaty flats, almost blue 

 with its fine colour. In gardens it 

 is too much coddled, wanting nothing 

 really but moist, peaty, or fine loamy 

 soil, not shallow, and the plants never 

 cocked up on the ridiculous "rock- 

 work" of the garden, but kept on 

 low ledges or borders, and never 

 placed near herbaceous or any other 

 vigorous plants. 



Gentiana acaulis (Gentianella). 

 Among the most beautiful of the Gentians, 

 easily cultivated, except on dry soils. In 

 some places edgings are made of it, and 

 where the plant does well, it should be 

 used in every garden to some extent in 

 this way. It is at home on the rock- 

 garden, where there is moist loam into 

 which it can root. It is sometimes sold 

 in Covent Garden in pots, when in flower 



