THE CANDYTUFT. 131 



The perennial species are fine plants for the border and 

 the rockery, and will without harm bear a certain amount 

 of shade. Any good loamy or gravelly soil will suit them. 

 They thrive on chalk, but on undrained clay they are liable 

 to injury in winter, and if really in a swampy place will 

 certainly perish. Although classed as " herbaceous/'' these 

 candytufts are miniature trees or under-shrubs, richly green 

 all the winter through, and flowering in spring or early 

 summer most profusely. They are models of neatness, and 

 when they attain to some size they are paragons of beauty, 

 as none would dispute after seeing our plants, measuring 

 a yard across, of the lovely white flowering rock candytuft. 



The most useful of this section are the following : — 

 Iberis corifolia (the coris-leaved candytuft) is very dwarf, 

 and flowers early ; the flowers pure white, the growth 

 densely cushioned. /. coriacea (the thick-leaved candytuft) , 

 probably a hybrid; it is of shrubby habit, and rises to a 

 foot in height; the leaves oblong spatulate, the growth 

 free, the flowers pure white, produced in great abundance 

 and rather late; one of the finest hardy rock-plants we 

 have, needing only an open sunny position to give joy to 

 all beholders. The Gibraltar species (/. Gibraltar lea) is 

 a straggling grower, the flowers, blush-white, appearing 

 early ; it is a good rock-plant, but not tidy enough for a 

 highly-dressed border. The rock candytuft (/. saxalilis) is 

 the most useful of all; it grows compactly, has a fine 

 green colour all the winter; the leaves are linear and 

 rather fleshy, the flowers white and lasting long. Tenore's 

 candytuft (/. Tenoreana) is like the Gibraltar plant, but 

 less rpbust, and less to be desired, as it is apt to die off in 

 winter unless in a warm, sheltered, and well -drained soil. 



All these may be grown from seed ; but they do not 



