THE ROCK GARDEN 129 



of seed-raising, it brings its own reward, and often 

 a very rich reward. 



Without attempting any of the baffling beauties 

 of the high Alps, like Mr Farrer's blue moss (Eri- 

 trichium nanum), which it would be folly for any- 

 one save a reckless optimist to take in hand without 

 due knowledge, there are hundreds of hardy dwarf- 

 growing shrubs and perennials from all parts of 

 the world, not necessarily, though many of them 

 are, mountain plants, which will both do better 

 and look better when cultivated among stones than 

 in the level border. Some of the brilliant small 

 pinks, like Dianthus alpinus, are emphatically 

 amongst these, as is shown by the comfortable 

 way in which the little tufts when well placed 

 will tuck themselves into crevices or bristle up 

 against the face of the stones. Several of the 

 small Erodiums and Geraniums are charming rock 

 plants not the tall E. Manescavi, which is dis- 

 appointing at the best of times, nor the big purple 

 G. ibericum, which is just the reverse and very 

 lovely in its own position ; but such as the tiny 

 .E. Reichardi, or the silvery G. argenteum. Most 

 of us, too, who are garden-lovers have found out 

 how easy it is to grow Edelweiss ; and no Alpinery 

 seems to be quite furnished without it. Granted 

 that sentiment has more to do with its allurement 

 than intrinsic beauty, the " flannelette fraud " has 

 after all a distinguished fluffiness of its own which 

 makes it attractive. A good many of the small 

 spreading campanulas ,the rock-loving primulas, 

 like P. viscosa, the Alpine auricula, and the pretty 

 mealy-leaved P. marginata a vast number of 



