204 



CASSELL'S POPULAE. GARDENINa. 



little grown or cultivated. It is, however, worthy 



of cultivation, md the flower being consider- 



ahly larger, some prefer it on that account. 



0. grmdifiorwm is a stronger plant, with larger 



flowers and less silvery leaves than either of the 



other two. Because of 



the latter, possihly, it is a 



stronger grower, and is a 



most useful ana showy 



plant for the mixed horder 



or Alpinery. Neither of 



these, however, is often 



seen in small gardens, 



and in this case the cot- 

 tagers, artisans, and sub- 



urban gardeners who have 



the C. tomentosum have the 



best of the family. 



The Snow -in- Summer 



spreads so rapidly into 

 tufts and masses', forming 

 roots as it runs over the 

 earth, that it can hardly 

 be said to need any culti- 

 vation. Nevertheless, if 

 left too long in one place, 

 its prodigality of flowering 

 and of growth is apt ^to 

 result ia bald patches in 

 the centre of large tufts, 

 and ragged places in old 

 edgings. To prevent this 

 it is a good plan to keep 

 up a young stock of these 

 useful plants, A few 

 patches can be torn 

 asunder, or pieces cut or 

 torn ofE wide edgings in 

 October or November, and 

 laid in an inch or two 

 deep, in rows, on any 

 spare bit of ground, tread- 

 ing the pieces, it matters 

 little whether they have 

 any roots or not, firmly 

 in. These will be nicely 

 rooted and fit to form fresh 

 patches or edgings in 

 March or April. 



Or the division may 

 take place in February or March. But should a dry 

 time follow, the Cerastiums will need frequent 

 waterings to assist their rooting and re-establish- 

 ment at that season. Where small lines are de- 

 sired it is a common practice to take ofi single 

 cuttings in March, dibble them in firmly, from one 



to three inches apart, placing two or three inches of 

 the cutting in the ground, and merely the point left 

 out. Should dry weather ensue, sprinkle overhead 

 occasionally until the cuttings are established. 

 If required in quantity for forming lines or 

 patches in winter, the 

 Cerastium should be di- 



(5^:%:^ 



COMMOK WAlLrLOWEE. 



vided as already explained, 

 and lined out in, a shady 

 place in good soil in May 

 or June. These midsum- 

 mer cuttings or pieces will 

 soon root and be ready for 

 forming white patches or 

 lines of great purity and 

 beauty in October or 

 November. ', 



The CerastiumB seed 

 freely ; but as . this ex- 

 hausts the plant and also 

 renders the leaves less 

 white, and they are so ■ 

 readily and largely in- 

 creased by the means 

 already pointed out, it is 

 not desirable to allow them 

 to ripen seeds. 



Thrift, or Sea-Pini, 

 — This plant, the Armeria 

 vulgaris of botanists, be- 

 longs to the natural order 

 of Leadwcrts (Flumlagi- 

 naceiB) . Being a native of 

 our own sea-shores, of the 

 Scotch mountains, and 

 other cold and elevated 

 parts of Europe, it is one 

 of the hardiest as well as 

 the showiest of common 

 garden plants. The white 

 and pale red - coloured 

 varieties of the species are 

 frequently found wild, the 

 former, however, being far 

 more common than the 

 latter. But neither of these 

 is much grown in gardens, 

 the red-flowered variety, 

 Armeria eoceinea, being so 

 much more effective. The common wild Thrift, 

 however, is met with at times in old-fashioned gar- 

 dens, and the white variety of the species is worth 

 growing, as it is rather scarce under cultivation. 

 They aU flower about the same time, through June 

 and July, and if the old flowers are cut off closely 



