136 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. 



composed of loam and sandstone or pieces of stone partly 

 buried around them. Sunshine is essential. 



Silvery or encrusted Saxifrages number such gems 

 as S. aizoides, S. Aizoon, very pretty in a sunny spo: 

 on the rock garden, S. aretoides, the little silvery S. cassia, 

 S. diapensioides, S. Hosti, S. Lantoscana. white flowers 

 in panicles proceeding from silvery tufts, and S. Roche- 

 liana, very beautiful in spring with its pure white flowers. 

 The smaller kinds must be protected from other things 

 of more vigorous growth. S. Burseriana is one of the 

 Inst flowers of spring. It comes almost with (he 

 Snowdrop, and makes charming little cushions of 

 greyish leaves, 

 completely hid- 

 den with large 

 p u r e white 



flowers, borne 



on a little rosy 



stem. This is 



best planted on 



the rock garden 



in a sunny spot, 



giving a gritty 



soil. Major is 



the best-known 



variety, its 



flowers being 



larger than those 



of ihe type. 

 T h e most 



beautiful ol the 



Silvery Rock- 



loils is 



S. Camposi.— 



This should be 

 in every garden. 

 It is known also 

 as S. Wallacei, 

 and belongs to 

 the mossy 



section. It bl 11s kucr than S. Burseriana and is very 



vigorous, forming masses of pale green leaves, which are 

 not much seen when the white flowers are open. It will 

 succeed well in pots, indeed there are few positions in 

 which it will not thrive. Propagate by cuttings, which 

 may be taken off and put in light soil under a bell-glass 

 out of doors. Plant out when large enough. 



S. Cotyledon and its variety pyramidalis, the last- 

 mentioned in particular. They must be included either for 

 growing in the rock garden or in pots for the greenhouse. 

 The floviers appear in panicles and are white, sometimes 

 dotted with pir.k, whilst the rosettes of foliage are 

 handsome. Use a light, thoroughly-drained soil, in 

 which lime is not present. Offsets are produced which 

 make new plants, or seeds may be sown in a cold frame. 



S. Fortune! is a delicate kind, but may be grown readily 

 in the greenhouse, when its flowers will appear in the 

 late autumn. Divide the plants once in every two 

 years, and repot each August, as the grub of a 

 weevil is very destructive to the root. It seems 

 to have a special partiality for this Saxifrage. S. 

 Fortunei has not only charming flowers, but the leaves, 

 too, are pretty. 



S. granulata is a native Saxifrage, but its double white 

 variety, flore-pleno, is the one generally grown in gardens, 

 being pretty when naturalised in the grass ; but where no 

 such opportunity exists in the garden, grow it in a moist 

 position in light soil on the rock garden. 



S. hypnoides. — This is the well-known mossy Saxifrage, 

 which is a useful kind to form edgings of, as the growth is 

 very free and quite mossy, making fresh green carpets 

 throughout the winter months. Such plants as this 

 should be used as a groundwork for spring bulbs, or the 

 Colchicums, which produce flowers without the leaves 

 in autumn. The Saxifrage acts as a protection, keeping 

 heavy rains from splashing up the soil. It may be easilv 

 pulled apart to make fresh stock and flowers in the 

 early summer. Moisture and a little shade are 



appreciated, but it must be a poor garden that will noi 

 suit this vigorous and beautiful plant. 

 S. longufolia makes beautiful rosettes of silvery foliage, 

 frequently lit. across, in themselves safficiently attrac- 

 tive to make the plant of value ; the leaves are 

 6in. or 7m. in length, whilst in spring appear beautiful 

 panicles of pearly white flowers, pyramids of blos c om. 

 Plants got from their Pyrenean home are seldom 

 satisfactory, as few alpine plants transplant well, 

 but this Saxifrage is easily raised from seed, wdiich 

 may be sown at any time in pins of light soil 

 and placed in a cold frame. When sufficiently large, 



plant them out, 

 p r e f e r a b 1 y in 

 crevices in the 

 rock garden, 

 w here the soil is 

 moist, as the 

 roots will run to 

 a great length, 

 hence one can 

 understand that 

 trans plan ting 

 fiom their native 

 rocks is difficult. 

 It also makes a 

 delightful plant 

 for the green- 

 house. 



>. oppositifolia 



is as brilliant 1 

 little flower as 

 any that deigns 

 to appear before 

 winter has 

 passed. It is 

 hardy and a 



SAXIFKAGA CAMP0S1. 



bright 

 nestling 

 some 

 growlh 



lb 



ledge, or making rich masses 

 border. Its proper place, however, 

 garden, and wherever planted let it have 

 composed of loam, leaf-mould, a little peat 



picture 

 against 

 rocky 

 in the 

 rock 

 soil 

 and 



sandstone mixed with the other ingredients. Never 

 plant it in a hot, dry spot, as moisture and cool surround- 

 ings are necessary to obtain that free growth one desires. 

 A scorching summer sun is hurtful. There are several 

 varieties, splendens being as brilliant as any, the flowers 

 of a rose crimson colour, intensely rich when a spreading 

 plant on some cool slope is in full beauty. .Major, or 

 grandiflora as it is also called, pyrenaica, and alba are 

 pleasing also 



S. SarmentOSa is familiar in cottage windows, and the 

 cottager calls it Mother-of-Thousands, presumably from 

 the free way in which the plant may be increased by little 

 tufts upon the long slender stems. It is not, however, a 

 very hardy kind, and must have a warm light soil. It is 

 advisable to trust it chiefly in pots. Tricolor is a much- 

 coloured leaved variety suitable only for under glass, and 

 then it must be treated with extreme care to prevent the 

 plant damping off. 



S. umbrosa is the popular London Pride, which will 

 grow almost everywhere, but is happiest in light vegetable 

 soil, that is a soil in which leaf-mould forms a large part, 

 and half-shade. The deep green leaves and panicles of 

 ro-e-dotted flowers are charming. When the plants are 

 becoming worn out, take up and divide the tufts, and 

 seed may be also easily raised at almost any time. 

 London Pride is a useful plant for edging, and is found 

 wild about Killarney, in Ireland. 



Othtr Saxifrages not separately described but very 

 charming are : S. ceratophylla, which will grow in almost 

 any soil, one of the mossy group ; the pretty S. Hirculus, 

 which requires similar conditions to S. oppo>iiifolia ; the 

 delightful little annual, S. Cymbalaria ; S. juniperina and 

 S. luteo-viridis, both charming kinds, early, and with yellow 

 flowers, soil as in the case of S. oppositifolia ; the pretty 



