6oo 



Gardening for Amateurs 



cover a yard of ground after a year or two 

 of growth. A variety of recent introduction 

 is L. prostratum Heavenly Blue, which is 

 perhaps a little more vigorous than the 

 type, and has flowers of a paler and more 

 shining blue. 



Phlox subulata G. F. Wilson (Mossy 

 Phlox). The subulata Phloxes are North 

 American trailing species, and G. F. Wilson is 

 one of the best of the garden varieties. It 

 creeps outward and branches from its central 

 root, covering the ground wdth ascending 

 stems clothed with narrow leaves. In June 

 and July come heads of starry lavender-blue 

 flowers which almost hide the plant. The 

 utmost height of this Phlox is about 6 inches, 

 but it spreads to a distance of 2 or 3 feet. 

 The plant is greatly helped and invigorated 

 by an annual top dressing of good soil into 

 which the rather woody stems may root. 

 There are several good forms of P. subulata, 

 amongst the best of which are compacta, a 

 deep pink ; Nelsoni, pure white ; and Vivid, 

 a wonderful warm salmon-pink. Cuttings 

 are easily struck. 



Saponaria ocymoides (Soap wort). A 

 trailer which in a couple of years covers a yard 

 of ground with a rounded cushion. In June 

 and July it is one solid sheet of smallish 

 blossoms of deep rose-pink. A showy and 

 easy alpine, coming readily from seed, and 

 seedlings show considerable variety in the 

 shape and shade of colour of their flowers. 

 There is a white variety which shades away 

 to pale pink as it fades, but its constitution is 

 weak. Saponaria ocymoides requires full sun 

 and enjoys lime in the soil. Otherwise it is 

 not fastidious. It is a first-rate wall plant. 



Saxifraga Aizoon rosea (Silvery 

 Saxifrage). The Aizoon Saxifrages are 

 perhaps the most useful and thrifty of 

 all the rock-loving members of the family 

 and rosea is the most beautiful of the 

 Aizoons. It forms compact tufts or 

 colonies of leathery, silver-edged leaves, 

 and throws up in June graceful 9- to 12- 

 inch sprays of pale rose flowers. The leaf 

 colonies take on delightful reddish colourings 

 in winter. It is a very easy plant to grow, 

 and although it will flourish on the flat in 

 ordinary soil, it is never so effective and 

 never looks so much at home as when nestling 

 among rocks in an elevated position in the 



rock garden, where its flower sprays may arch 

 away a little out of the perpendicular. It is 

 easily increased by division, or by pulling 

 off single rosettes and striking them in 

 sandy soil. 



Saxifraga Cotyledon pyramidalis. 

 This is like a gigantic form of Aizoon, with 

 broad, glossy green, silver-edged leaves in 

 handsome rosettes, and glorious arching 

 sprays of white blossoms 2 to 3 feet high. It 

 is very easy to grow and soon forms strong 

 colonies of rosettes. Any decent loam suits 

 it, and it enjoys lime. If possible it should 

 be planted in a slightly elevated pocket or 

 crevice, when its sprays of flowers may be 

 seen to best advantage. Rosettes may 

 easily be taken off and struck. 



Saxitraga Bathoniensis (Mossy Saxi- 

 frage). This is a very handsome develop- 

 ment of the mossy section of Saxifrages. The 

 foliage consists of mossy rosettes which mul- 

 tiply into rounded cushions of deep green. In 

 June come slender branched 6-inch stems 

 with sprays of large crimson flowers. The 

 plant is easily grown in ordinary soil, but it 

 enjoys best a half-shady position, in which 

 the flowers retain their colour longer than in 

 full sun. Propagation by division is very 

 easy. The white species of mossy Saxifrage 

 such as Wallacei and muscoides and the 

 shell-pink Stormonth's Seedling are easy 

 and beautiful. 



Silene alpestris (Alpine Catchfly). 

 A charming dwarf plant which runs freely 

 underground, forming a mat of close glossy 

 green, throwing up in summer quantities of 

 wiry little upright 3-inch stems with starry 

 flowers of pure dead white. It delights in 

 rambling through light, gritty soil amongst 

 rocks, and is easily increased by seeds or 

 division. 



Tunica Saxifraga. This forms a tuft of 

 short, grass-like foliage, and produces in late 

 summer a mass of very slender branched 

 stems, and a cloud of tiny pale pink Gypso- 

 phila-like flowers. Its flowering after the 

 majority of alpines are over makes it a 

 valuable plant in the rock garden. It seeds 

 abundantly. There is a pretty double 

 variety with pink flowers and dwarf habit, 

 and a taller-growing double white form. 

 Both these latter must be increased by cut- 

 tings, which is not a very easy operation. 



