Directions for Specific Culture. 17 
Meconopsis Wallichii (Sikkim-Himalaya), 
This Himalayan Poppy-wort is a noble plant, 
worth growing were it only as a foliage plant, for 
a plant three years old, if properly treated, will 
make rosettes 24ft. to 3ft. across. But it possesses 
also the enhanced attractiveness of striking and 
abundant flower, and, indeed, I have known a single 
plant with a diameter of 34ft, a stem 51ft. high, 
and as many as 238 buds and blossoms at once. 
This species, like Meconopsis nepalensis, which is 
also a very fine plant, requires a damp shady place, 
with abundance of water at the roots during the 
summer season, and a soil composed of strong loam 
and peat, with a little grit addéd to the compost 
to keep it open. The plant must be well sheltered 
from the north and east winds, as the leaves should 
never be without moisture standing on them. If 
the cold winds sweep across the plants the moisture 
soon goes, and the leaves become dried up and 
begin to decay round their edges. On account of 
both foliage and flower, this plant looks well by 
the side of a pool between two rocks, with plenty 
of soil for the roots. 
Mertensia alpina (Rocky Mountains). 
This plant is not very easy to grow, and 
requires a well-drained but partially-shaded place 
where it can have plenty of moisture during the 
growing season but will be dry during winter. 
Plant in a mixture of sandy peat and leaf-mould 
with a small portion of rough loam. In the early 
part of the year, when the plant is making its 
