DESCRIPTIVE AND SELECTIVE. 225 



EPIMEDIUM (Barrenwort). — ^This is a somewhat 

 numerous genus of low, spring-blooming, shade-loving 

 plants, which rapidly carpet the ground when in a 

 congenial position. They are graceful alike in foliage 

 and bloom. Towards the end of summer the leaves 

 assume pretty tints and are used in floral decorations. 

 They are among the few Alpines that enjoy shade, 

 and will thrive under trees. Loam and peat, with 

 abundance of grit, make a suitable compost for them. 

 Propagation may be effected by division in early 

 spring, or by seeds sown under glass in spring. The 

 following are the best species : Alpinum, crimson and 

 yellow ; macranthum, blue and white ; and pinnatum, 

 yellow. 



ERANTHIS (Winter Aconite). — Few of the very 

 early flowers of the year are so pretty as the charming 

 little " Winter Aconite,'' Eranthis hy emails , which 

 bears large pale yellow flowers, surrounded by a green 

 " ruff." It will grow in almost any soil, but prefers 

 a moist one, and is procurable at a cheap rate from 

 bulb dealers in autumn. There is a less familiar and 

 somewhat later-flowering species called cilicica^ also 

 yellow. 



ERICA (Heaths). — ^There is room for a selection of 

 the best dwarf mountain shrubs in many a rock garden, 

 and few are so suitable as the Heaths, which are com- 

 pact in growth, and profuse and beautiful in bloom. 

 Several of them are British plants. They enjoy a peaty 

 soil. Carnea, one of the most popular, likes limestone. 

 Some bloom in autumn, others in winter and spring. 

 Those with a tufty habit of growth may be propagated 



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