112 ALPINES AND BOG-PLANTS 



weakly ; but splendens appears a well-intentioned plant, 

 with silky silver foliage and fine rosy spikes. The good 

 species of this race want sun and well-drained lightish 

 soil ; as for the bad ones, nobody cares what they 

 want. 



The Lupines are notable sub - shrubs. Besides the 

 noble Snow-Queen I grow some beautiful North- Ameri- 

 cans. Lupinus decumbens has silky - silver leaves and 

 lovely spikes of soft lilac flowers ; almost equally good is 

 argenteus. These trail about the rock- work in any light 

 soil, and, to my joy, seem completely hardy and winter- 

 proof. As for Lwpinus nootkatensis, I don't know if I have 

 ever got the true species ; all I can say is that if I have, 

 it is not the thing that my soul covets. For my heart is 

 set on a most exquisite, minute plant, making dense silvery 

 cushions about four inches high, with spikes of big azure- 

 blue flowers, which grows here and there quite commonly 

 in the highway-sides about Vancouver and Victoria. It 

 was there I saw and loved it, and collected seed of it 

 years ago. All the seed germinated ; and then all the 

 seedlings died. What that plant's name may really 

 be I cannot tell ; I merely guessed that nootkatensis 

 might suit it, as belonging to that quarter of the world. 

 I can only say that it is a very astonishingly lovely 

 thing. Possibly it is a mifl^; all the Lupines, I think, 

 dislike excessive damp. They must be well-drained, and 

 rather dry, to be safe. As for the things I have been 

 sent for nootkatensis, they are tall, coarse, and, by contrast 

 with what I wanted, horrid. 



Coronilla varia is a weed, only admissible to the wildest, 

 roughest banks. And, even so, be careful to get a well- 

 coloured form. For while some Varias are of a brilliant 

 warm rose, others, the majority, are of various dull and 

 tepid tones. Coronilla emerus makes a stalwart bush of 

 yellow blossom, and is not reputed quite hardy. Anyhow 



