322 STUDIES IN GARDENING 



Gentiana verna was supposed to be almost impossible 

 in England, chiefly because it was treated as a rock 

 plant. It should be grown in a flat sunny basin where 

 it will catch all the rain. If this is well drained it 

 wfll not suffer from damp in the winter. The soil 

 should be deep, half loam and half leaf-mould. It is 

 best planted in early spring, and the most important 

 point in its culture is to top-dress it with leaf-mould 

 at intervals through the summer and to water it fre- 

 quently in dry weather. The plants must be very firm 

 in the soil, and it is well to tread on them whenever 

 they seem to be at all loose. Strong plants should 

 be obtained to start with, and these are best got from 

 Ireland. With these precautions it is easy to grow 

 where the air is pure, and there is no need to speak of 

 its beauty. It should never be disturbed when estab- 

 lished. 



The culture of Ramondia Pyrenaica is now fairly 

 well understood. It is most splendid near a water- 

 fall, but most gardeners cannot provide it with this. 

 It will thrive, however, among rocks where it is placed 

 so that the sun never strikes upon it, and is best planted 

 so that the roots run horizontally into the ground. 

 It likes a rich soil of loam, peat, and leaf -mould, though 

 peat is not necessary, and is not averse to lime. 



Rosa alpina is the only rose suitable to the rock 

 garden, and it is suitable only to large rock gardens. 

 It grows rather more than a foot high and has bright 

 pink flowers. It needs space, as it spreads by suckers 

 and prefers a cool place and rich soil. It is very easily 



