236 ALPINE FLOWERS. Part II. 



even on the tops of thatched houses — a position which it may 

 be seen sometimes embellishing on the Continent. It thrives in 

 ordinary garden soil, the lighter and deeper the better ; the finest 

 specimens I have ever seen were in a deep sandy peat, and 

 they were twice the ordinary size. There are several varieties : 

 yellow, white, light blue, and deep dark violet, respectively known 

 under the names of I.pumila lutea, alba, ccerulea, and atro- 

 carulea. Each of the varieties is worthy of cultivation, and 

 easily increased by division of the rhizomes. 



IRIS RETICULATA.— ^ar/y Bulbous I. 



Distinct from all other Irises, and perhaps the most valuable 

 of all, considering its early bloom, delicious violet scent, and 

 rich and brilliant colour. The root is a tuber ; leaves four-angled 

 and rather tall when fully developed ; and the flowers, borne on 

 stems three to six inches high, are of the deepest and most bril- 

 liant purple, each of the lower segments marked with a deep 

 orange stain, contrasting richly with the other parts of the flower. 

 It blooms in early spring, long before any other Iris shows itself, 

 and loves a deep sandy soil, and a warm well-drained. position. 

 There is no more beautiful plant for a sunny bank on the lower 

 slopes of the rock-garden, and it will be found desirable in 

 other positions when sufficiently plentiful. A native of Southern 

 Europe, Syria, Asia Minor, and adjacent countries. In- 

 creased by division of the tubers. Where seed is produced, it 

 should be saved and sown, as the plant is, at present, com- 

 paratively rare. 



ISOPYRXJM TlTUJSlO'^-B.Onmi.—Meadow-rue I. 



A GRACEFUL little plant allied to the Meadow-rues, but with 

 white flowers prettier than tbose of the Thalictrums. It is, how- 

 ever, chiefly valuable for its maidenhair-fern-hke foliage, and is 

 worthy of culture in the flower-garden for this alone. When it 

 is grown for the sake of its dwarf elegant leaves only, the flower- 

 stems should be pinched out. It will prove attractive as a fern- 

 like edging for the little beds of very dwarf succulents that are 

 now deservedly becoming popular. It is also well suited for 

 rockwork, and particularly so for the front edge of the mixed 

 border, is hardy, and easy to grow on any soil. Comes from the 

 Pyrenees and mountainous parts of Greece, Italy, and Car- 



