44 THE BOOK OF THE WINTER GARDEN 



spikes of whitish flowers noted for their fragrance, from 

 which the plant obtains the name of ''winter heliotrope." 

 Grown in quantity their flowers perfume the air. Those 

 who wish to have it in quantity might soon do so, as 

 there are gardens where there is evidently a superabun- 

 dance of this rapidly spreading plant. 



Early Flowering Saxifragas 



The earliest is usually the alpine S. Burseriana^ with 

 large white flowers on stalks little more than an inch 

 in height. They expand in February or, down south, 

 even before. Several varieties exist having larger 

 flowers, but all being white are not so conspicuous as 

 those of S. Boydii, a superb hybrid too scarce to plant in 

 any quantity. That being so, the usual yellow flowered 

 one is S. apiculata (S. luteo-purpurea, etc., of gardens), 

 which forms a close compact carpet of vivid green, 

 ornamented from February onwards with many lemon 

 yellow flowers. This hybrid was received from Mr 

 Maly, the gardener to the Emperor of Austria, by a 

 nurseryman of Zurich, who distributed it under the 

 name of 5. Malyi, It should be grown on a rockery 

 well exposed to light — not under trees — and planted in 

 a sandy, stony soil. During summer it should have plenty 

 of water, and may be increased by pulling the plants to 

 pieces just as the flowers fade. 



Another section of Saxifraga, those usually known as 

 Megasea, are beautiful early flowering plants, which, 

 unhke the above, will thrive in shade. The leaves are 

 large and the flowers usually pink, and borne in pro- 

 fusion on I foot and higher stems. Left alone they 

 will spread into large, handsome clumps, which, if top 

 dressed occasionally, will give numerous flowers. With 

 age the plants become leggy, and should be taken up 

 after flowering, divided and replanted more deeply. 



