DESCRIPTIVE AND SELECTIVE. 259 



called rosea. They are true Alpines. Caicalensis 

 (syn. macrantha) is popular. This produces blue 

 flowers in August. IndicUy with mauve flowers in 

 July, is worth including. The plants will thrive in 

 gritty loam, and may be propagated by division in 

 spring. 



SEDUM (Stonecrop). — ^Those who see an old barn 

 or other building, shambling and huddled, its walls 

 stained with time, its roof at various angles, will admit 

 that the yellow-flowered plants which cluster on its 

 tiles are well in keeping with its mellow colours. The 

 Stonecrops are the most useful of plants for such places, 

 also for old walls, dry rockeries and arid spots generally. 

 They have been endowed by nature with fleshy foliage, 

 which enables them to withstand drought. They form 

 carpets of succulent leaves, varying a great deal in tint. 

 The flowers are also pretty and varied in colour. In 

 the old days of " carpet bedding " gardeners made 

 considerable use of them in elaborate designs. They 

 will grow in poor, dry soil, and the ordinary soil of the 

 rock garden will suit them, especially if it contains lime. 

 They may be propagated by division in spring, or by 

 cuttings in summer, left to dry for a few hours before 

 being put into sandy soil. The following are a few 

 species selected from a large number, all are summer 

 bloomers : acre is the well-known yellow Stonecrop ; 

 it has several varieties, two, variegatum and aureuin, 

 having yellow-tipped leaves. In elegans the tips are 

 silvery, and this variety was a great favourite with 

 carpet-bedders. Album is the white Stonecrop. 

 Brevifolium, white or pinkish flowers, foliage mealy, 



