82 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GAPtDENING. 



COMMON GAEDEN FLOWEES. 



ARABIS, ALYSSUM, AND AUBRIETIA. 



Arabis. — The "White Arabis, Wall or Rock 

 Cress, is perhaps the most common, as it is as- 

 suredly one of the most beautiful and useful 

 plants in cultivation. It seems to thrive almost 

 equally well in town and country, and there are 

 few gardens, large or small, new or old, that are 

 not lighted up in April by one or more plants 

 of the White Arabis. 

 It grows freely in either 

 sun or shade, on the 

 level as well as on raised 

 mounds, or sloping 

 banks, though it flowers 

 most freely either on a 

 raised hillock or bank, 

 on good soil of consider- 

 able depth. It is, how- 

 ever, by no means parti- 

 cular about soil or site, 

 and will grow an;^'where 

 and everywhere the com- 

 mon daisies will thrive, 

 and very often where 

 these will hardly deign 

 to live. The name of 

 Wall Cress is supposed 

 to be derived from the 

 fact that the Arabis are 

 often found in dry places, 

 iSuch as on the debris of 

 rocks, mouldering ruins 

 or old walls. But in 

 gardens the Arabis also 

 thrives well on good soil 

 of almost any sort. Some 

 of the largest tufts of 



this fine old plant have been seen in kitchen gar- 

 dens, a yard across, and as white as a sheet. Such 

 large masses are most effective when slightly raised 

 in the middle, or when facing the spectator upon 

 sloping banks, either by themselves, or placed side 

 by side with masses of Forget-me-nots or Aubrietias 

 of almost equal size ; the snowy whiteness of the 

 Arabis comes out with great force and distinctness 

 under such treatment. 



But the Wall Cress thrives almost equally well 

 under a system of annual division. The plants 

 readily lend themselves to this mode of increase or 

 of culture ; though not creepers, tlieir wide-spread- 

 ing dwarf branchlets root readily as they closely 

 hug the ground ; and should any of them fail to do so 

 when attached to the parent plant, they root speedily 



Arabis albida maxima. 



and surely almost as soon as detached and placed 

 firmly in the soil. The best time to divide Ai-abis is 

 shortly after their flowers fade ; and as the different 

 species flower from January to July, it is wise to 

 note that they should be divided by condition and 

 not by calendar. 



Cuttings will also root readily about the same 

 stage of growth, if taken ofl^ with a small heel of the 

 old wood, and placed in light, sandy soil, under a 

 cloche or a hand-light. But as divided plants grow 

 much sooner into flowering tufts of very effective 

 size, it is scarcely worth 

 while striking cuttings, 

 unless where great quan- 

 tities are wanted. The 

 Wall Ciesses may also 

 be freely raised from 

 seeds, though the finer 

 strains, such as Albida 

 iitaxima, do ' not seed 

 nearly so freely as some 

 of the more weedy 

 species and varieties. 

 The seeds may be sown 

 in the open air, either 

 in the early spring or 

 autumn, say February 

 or August, as most of 

 the species and varieties 

 are perfectly hardy — 

 though sometimes the 

 finer strains are rather 

 injured by frost, partly 

 through being -over- 

 excited by stimulating 

 composts or rich soils. 

 A rather fine, dry, poor 

 soil should be chosen for 

 sowing Arabis seed — ■ 

 especially if it should 

 be sown in the autumn ; as when forced up very 

 rapidly into rank growth, even Arabis get much 

 cut about in the winter or early spring. 



The plants belong to the great family of Cross- 

 worts or Cruciferce, to which our Cabbages, Cauli- 

 flowers, Turnips, Radishes, Stocks, Candytuft, 

 Drabas, Nasturtium, Aubrietia, Alyssum, and hosts 

 of other families and species belong. 



The finest species or variety of Arabis is albida, 

 which was introduced from the Caucasus so early as 

 1798. This, with a larger-flowered strain of Wall 

 Cress, A. albida grandijlora, is without doubt the 

 finest Arabis grown, and leaves little or nothing to 

 be desired in the shape of dwarf white flowers. 

 There has long been a variegated variety of this 

 species, which is almost four inches shorter, and is 



