202 



FLORA AND SYLVA, 



though difficult to grow in low districts. Its 

 deep green foliage lies close to the earth in a 

 clustered rosette ; flower-heads white. 



Double White Yarrow [A. Ptarmica Ji. 

 pi.). — A useful variety and perhaps the best 

 known of all, providing a profusion of pure 

 whiteblossoms upon tall stems throughout the 

 summer. For cutting it is most useful and is 

 perfectly hardy and free in any soil. Various 

 good forms of this plant are now grown, The 

 Pearl, elegans plena, and Snowball, being of the 

 number. Often called by its old name of 

 Double Sneezewort. 



Rock Yarrow {A. rupestris). — A pretty 

 and early-flowering evergreen kind from Cala- 

 bria, forming a low white-flowered tuft of a few 

 inches ; thrives in poor soil upon warm banks, 

 and is among the best of the dwarf kinds. 



Trautm ann's Yarrow (A. Trautmanni). 

 — A pretty species from Austria, with umbels 

 of white flowers 6 to 8 inches high. Of tufted 

 growth, with long and very narrow leaves of 

 deep green, and white flowers. 



The Siberian Yarrow (A.sibirica). — This 

 kind bears many elegant white blossoms early 

 in the season, attractive by reason of their puri- 

 ty, and most useful in the border or for cutting. 

 It is 2 feet high, of easy growth, and less ram- 

 bling at the root than many kinds. Increased 

 by division. Siberia. Syn. A. mongolica. 



Downy Yarrow [A. tomentosa) . — A tufted, 

 trailing rock-plant, with evergreen woolly 

 leaves and flat corymbs of bright yellow flowers 

 from June to August; in poor soil it spreads as 

 a dense green carpet, but in rich ground is often 

 12 inches high. The best of all the yellow- | 

 flowered kinds, it is a good plant for the margins 

 of mixed borders in ordinary soil, but not in 

 wet places, doing best upon sunny banks or even 

 upon dry walls, where it is sometimes used with 

 fine effect. Division. European Alps, and rarely 

 in Britain. Syn. A. aurea. 



Egyptian Yarrow {A. Tournefortii). — A 

 silvery plant 1 8 to 20 inches high, with finely 

 cut leaves and handsome heads of yellow 

 flowers, and much of the grace of a fern in its 

 appearance. Anative of the East, it is not quite 

 hardy on heavy soils but survives in well- 

 drained sunny spots, flowering in summer. 

 Division. Syn. A. Mgyptica. 



Pallid Mountain Yarrow [A. umbel- 

 lata. — A dwarf alpine plant, pretty all through 



the season from its silvery deeply-lobed leaves, 

 best seen upon warm banks or dry walls ; its 

 white flowers are of small account, being few 

 and inconspicuous against the glistening white 

 foliage. It is a Grecian species, of easy culture 

 in light soil; increased by division in spring. 



GOOD COLOUR FROM THE 

 ROCK-GARDEN. 



Although in their native lands there is 

 no colour more beautiful than that of 

 rock and Alpine plants, owing to various 

 causes their full value is seldom shown 

 in gardens. The common way of mak- 

 ing what is called a rockery prevents all 

 breadth of grouping ; the puerile idea 

 that a rock-garden is made by stand- 

 ing stones on end is against all effective 

 planting ; you cannot get plants into 

 natural colonies in that way, and the 

 "pockets" prevent them from taking 

 anything like their usuallyprettyspread - 

 ing habit. The great majority of Alpine 

 plants do not want pockets ; they want 

 to be raised above the level in order to 

 escape the surface water; they enjoy 

 having their roots behind stones, but 

 they no more object to a flat surface or 

 gentle slopes than grass does, as maybe 

 seen upon the Alps in all directions. If 

 people would put their rocks in simple 

 ways instead of exposing their sides like 

 milestones, it would be much easier to 

 group well and get the full effect of the 

 colour of the mountain flowers. Another 

 mistake long rooted in our habits and 

 which spoils all the mixed borders in 

 the land, is the common way of placing 

 dots instead of easy groups, putting cul- 

 tivation or good effect out of court. 

 Hence, although we may secure much 

 of the individual- beauty of *the plant 

 seen close at hand, we do not get the 



