344 



FLORA AND SYLVA, 



little plant known as the Rock Jasmine, inha- 

 biting a vast range through Europe, Asia, 

 North Africa, and the Arctic regions. Though 

 like villosa in flower it differs in leaf and habit, 

 with a branching rootstock, spreading clusters 

 of fringed leaves, and stout flower stems seve- 

 ral inches high bearing three to six flowers. 

 These change from white to yellow, pink, and 

 crimson, opening from May to June according 

 to season and latitude, and borne in long suc- 

 cession. It is one of the best and easiest of rock 

 plants to grow in open soil, mixed and surfaced 

 with broken lime rubbish or slate dust, thriv- 

 ing in full sun. It should be watered freely in 

 dry weather tokeepaway red-spider; itflowers 

 well in pots in a cool house. There are several 

 distinct forms: — UniJJora, from theHimalayas, 

 has only one or two flowers upon its short stems; 

 and coronata, from a height of 16,000 or 17,000 

 feet in Western Thibet, differs in its dwarfed 

 growth, and flowers with a dark eye. Seeds. 



A. vitaliana. — This is no longer classed as 

 an Androsace, being now known as Douglasia; 

 but its changes from Aretia to Primula, Gre- 

 goria,and othergroups,havebeenso many that 

 it is doubtful whether this newest name will 

 last. It is a pretty rock-plant, like a tiny Furze 

 bush hardly an inch high, with silvery leaves 

 dusted over with white powder, and many 

 flowers borne singly — large for so small a plant 

 — in March or April, of a fine yellow. It is 

 useful with plants of this group, thriving under 

 the same conditions, and distinct in colour. Dis- 

 liking dry or heavy soils, it does best in full 

 sun, set in buried stones and free sandy loam 

 mixed with pebbles and heath soil. Runners, 

 and seeds. Alps, Pyrenees,and Sierras of Spain. 



A.wulfeniana. — A scarce plant with leaves 

 densely hairy and deep rosy flowers upon short 

 stems just topping the leaves and completely 

 covering the dense cushion-like mass. Soil, 

 sand and leaf-mould in half-shade ; should be 

 freely top-dressed at intervals. Granite rocks 

 of the Tyrol. Seeds. 



The Lion's Tail (Leonotis Leonurus). — 

 Messrs. Veitch of Chelsea send us this fine old 

 plant covered with bloom, showing how well 

 it will flower in pots at this season, when the 

 greenhouse is none too gay. Its colour and 

 form of flower is so good and distinct that its 

 neglect is strange. 



FLOWERING CRABS (Pyrus), 

 WITH A COLOURED PLATE OF 

 PYRUS NIEDZWETZKYANA. 

 For their beauty, hardiness, and easy- 

 culture few trees are better than the wild 

 Apples of Asia and America and the 

 small -fruited garden varieties raised 

 from them. Yet planters have been slow 

 to adopt them, and in too many gar- 

 dens, crowded with weedy evergreens 

 and distorted conifers, these trees so 

 charmingin flower and fruit are still un- 

 known. The small-fruited sorts are often 

 the best in flower and in the rich colour 

 of their fruits, and for the garden few 

 things are more charming than a group 

 of these miniature Apples, beautiful in 

 flower during spring and in autumn 

 showy with fruit. In some kinds these 

 hang far into the winter, or they may be 

 cut for the house when the last outdoor 

 flowers are on the wane. Far too little 

 is made of the Crab Apple for its beauty 

 in the picturesque garden where it 

 flowers freely even in partial shade, the 

 effect of a well-placed tree in spring- 

 time being to quite light up the little 

 glades in the pleasure ground. In rich 

 soil beside water, or drooping from a 

 stream bank, few flowering trees are 

 more graceful in outline, while planted 

 in double rank to form a narrow shaded 

 walk — such as is common in gardens of 

 Japan — there are no better trees than 

 standard ornamental Crabs. The kinds 

 varied as 



are 



to size and habit, some 



making trees of 30 feet with a spreading 

 head, and others rarely rising higher 

 than a low bush ; many droop prettily 

 upon reaching mature form, and two or 

 three are true weepers of charming effect 



