314 



ALPINE FLOWERS FOR GARDENS 



[PART I 



an ornamental plant, but being so dif- 

 ferent in habit to the other members of 

 the family, it is worthy of a place in large 

 and botanical collections. It grows in 

 any soil, blooms rather late in summer, 

 and comes from Siberia. 



Sedum pulchellum (American Stone- 

 crop). A dwarf species, with purplish 

 flowers arranged in several spreading 

 branchlets, bird's - foot fashion. It is 

 abundant in North America, and at 

 present very rarely seen in our gardens, 

 though far more worthy of cultivation 

 than many commonly grown, flowering 

 in summer, growing in ordinary soil, and 

 easily increased by division. 



S. rupestre (Rock Stonecrop). A 

 glaucous densely - tufted plant, with 

 numerous spreading shoots, these shoots 

 generally rooting at the base and erect at 

 the apex. It has rather loose corymbs of 

 yellow flowers, and is frequently grown 

 in gardens. There are several varieties 

 or sub-species, notably the British S. 

 elegans and the green-leaved S. Forsteria- 

 num. A native of Britain and various 

 parts of Europe, and of the easiest 

 culture. 



S. Sieboldii (Siebold's Stonecrop). An 

 elegant species, with roundish leaves, of a 

 glaucous hue, in whorls of three on the 

 numerous stems that in autumn bear the 

 soft rosy flowers in small round bouquets. 

 At first the ascending stems form neat 

 tufts, but as they lengthen, they bend 

 outwards with the weight of the flowers 

 at the points, making the plant a graceful 

 one for small baskets or vases. It is 

 hardy, and merits a place on the rock- 

 garden, especially where its graceful 

 habit may be seen to advantage that is 

 to say, where its branches may fall with- 

 out touching the earth ; but except in 

 favoured places, it does not make such a 

 strong and satisfactory growth as most of 

 the other Stonecrops. Easily propagated 

 by division. In late autumn the leaves 

 often assume a lovely rosy-coral hue. 

 There is a variegated variety, not so good 

 as the ordinary form. Japan. 



S. spectabile (Showy Stonecrop). This 

 is one of the finest autumn - flowering 

 plants introduced of late years distinct, 

 hardy, fine when its delicate rose-coloured 





flowers, in very large heads, are in bloom, 

 and pretty long before it flowers, from its 

 dense bush of glaucous leaves. It begins 

 to push up its fleshy glaucous shoots in 

 the dawn of spring, keeps growing on all 

 through the early summer, opens ita 

 flowers in early autumn, and continues in 

 full perfection till the end of that season. 

 The plant is one of the easiest to pro- 

 pagate and grow, and forms round, sturdy, 

 bush-like tufts of vegetation, 18 inches or 

 more high when well established. Japan. 



Sedum spurium (Purple Stonecrop). 

 Several kinds of Sedum, with large, flat 

 leaves, occur in our gardens, of which this 

 is much the best, its rosy-purple corymbs 

 of flowers being handsome compared to 

 the dull whitish flowers of allied kinds. 

 A native of the Caucasus ; well suited for 

 forming edgings, the margin of a mixed 

 border, or the rock-garden. It is of the 

 easiest culture and propagation, and 

 blooms late in summer, and often through 

 the autumn. The variety atrosanguineum 

 is more showy. 



The preceding are the most distinct 

 kinds in cultivation. The pretty S. cceru- 

 leum is an annual, and S. carneum variega- 

 tum not hardy enough to stand our 

 winters. Several Sedums with a monstrous 

 development of stem, or what in botanical 

 language is called fasciation, are in our 

 gardens : S. monstrosum, cristatum, and 

 reflexum monstrosum, to wit. The follow- 

 ing is an enumeration of other species, or 

 reputed species, now in cultivation in this 

 country, the most desirable being marked 

 with an asterisk. They are almost, with- 

 out exception, of the easiest culture and 

 rapid increase in ordinary soil. 



S. aizoides 

 Aizoon 

 albescens 

 altaicum 

 anglicum 

 angulatum 

 arboreum 

 asiaticum 

 aureum 

 Beyrichianum 

 Brauni 



* corsicum 

 cruciatum 



* cruentum 



S. 



* cyaneum 

 dentatum 

 denticulatum 



* elegans 

 elongatum 

 Fabaria 



* f arinosum 

 Forsterianum 

 grandifolium 



* hispanicum 

 hispidum 

 ibericum 

 involucratum 

 Jacquini 



