FIFTY BEST ROCK PLANTS 325 



Achilleas fbr the rock garden, all liking a dry, sunny 

 situation, but the best is A. argentea (rightly called 

 Tanacetum argenteum). This is beautiful both for 

 its silvery foliage and for its pure white flowers. There 

 is no better plant for the top of the rock garden, and 

 it may be mixed with the Aethionemas. 



Few of the dwarf Hypericums are quite hardy; but 

 H. reptans will survive most winters if planted in a 

 warm place where its roots are protected by large 

 rocks, and it is the most beautiful when in flower. 

 It likes a rich, light soil, and may be increased by 

 cuttings taken in spring. Near it may be grown 

 Edraianthus serpyllifolius, a little bell flower of a 

 brilliant purple colour, not at all difficult to grow in 

 fissures of the rocks and in light, rubbly soil. This 

 is also best increased by cuttings taken in spring. 

 One of the earliest of all spring flowers is Iberis saxa- 

 tilis, the smallest of the Candytufts, and not always 

 easy to obtain true. It likes a limy soil and a fissure 

 between rocks looking full south. It is quite pros- 

 trate, and the largest plants are only a few inches 

 across. House-leeks are innumerable in variety, but 

 the best for the rock garden is Sempervivum arach- 

 noideum and its larger variety S. laggeri. These are 

 quite easy in any high and dry sunny place. They 

 like a fissure where they can spread out over the face 

 of the rocks. 



All the plants mentioned in this list are only sug- 

 gestions, and could be matched with other plants as 

 beautiful. The writer chooses them because he has 



