THE PERENNIAL-PLANT FLOWER GARDEN. 



815 



various natures. The soil we use is for the 

 most part sandy peat and loam in equal parts ; 

 some in sandy peat alone, and others, as Saxi- 

 fraga cernua, which is only found amongst the 

 debris of micaceous rocks, in a soil of which 

 mica in a reduced state forms a part; Rub us 

 chamcemorus, and similar true bog-plants, in 

 peat-bog soil; while alpine aquatics, such as 

 Lobelia dortmana, Isoetes lacustris, &c, are 

 planted in sheer sand, and submerged in tubs 

 of water. The pots in general use in nurseries 

 are small or large sixties. These are no doubt 

 convenient for transport, but to grow the majo- 

 rity of alpines to the fullest extent of perfection, 

 pots 9 inches over should be employed. At 

 Dalkeith, where the largest private collection 

 perhaps in the world is cultivated, we use pots 

 of the latter diameter, but not more than 5 

 inches deep, perforated at the bottom and round 

 the lower part of the sides with numerous small 

 holes, for admitting air to the roots, and secur- 

 ing ample drainage. From 1 to 2 inches of 

 drainage is placed in the bottom ; and when the 

 potting is finished, small white pebbles are set 

 around the plant on the surface of the soil. 

 Upon these many of the creeping kinds recline, 

 and are prevented from damping off, as the air 

 passes under and amongst the stem and foliage. 

 The stones also tend to keep the soil of a uni- 

 form moistness, by preventing evaporation ; and 

 in many cases the roots of some of the more 

 rare species luxuriate more under these stones 

 than elsewhere in the pot. When their growing 

 season commences, abundance of water is given, 

 often to the extent of twice a-day, for from 

 observation we know that at that stage of the 

 growth of alpine plants they are kept at nearly 

 the point of saturation, in consequence of the 

 melting of the snow above and around them. 

 In all mountainous regions a great amount of 

 atmospheric moisture exists, and hence the 

 practice of watering them over-head with a rose 

 watering-pot is beneficial to them. Many alpine 

 plants are capable of being very successfully 

 cultivated in town, in back-yards and on house- 

 tops ; and we believe that a very extensive col- 

 lection could be so grown in the centre of Lon- 

 don, if placed in frames covered with glass 

 sashes. The amateur about to form a small 

 collection, say of 100 species, will find the 

 following genera suitable for the purpose : — 

 Soldanella, Primula, Aretia, Androsacea, Gen- 

 tiana, Cyclamen, lllecebrum, Trientalis, the 

 prostrate species of Veronica and dwarf Cam- 

 panula, Arenaria, Saxifraga, Sedum, Sempervi- 

 vum, &c. The arrangements of an alpine pit 

 most suitable for culture are, a span-roofed pit, 

 with a wall along the centre for affording partial 

 shade during the heat of summer to such sorts 

 as are impatient of extreme heat, as well as 

 those, like many ferns, which grow naturally in 

 the mouths of caves, under the shade and shelter 

 of projecting rocks, &c. ; the front pit for those 

 like the Azalea procumbens, &c, which grow 

 upon bare exposed places, enjoying the fullest 

 rays of the sun, and which would be ill suited 

 to a northern exposure or cool shaded place. 

 The rockery is also an excellent place for the 

 more hardy, and in its construction regard 



should be had to securing shade, as well as full 

 exposure to the sun, therefore a bank covered 

 with masses of stones, running in an east and 

 west direction, or one of irregular form, will 

 present these conditions. 



§ 7. — THE PERENNIAL-PLANT FLOWER 

 GARDEN. 



Before the grouping and planting-out system 

 came into fashion — that is, the decorating our 

 flower-garden borders with plants such as gera- 

 niums, verbenas, &c, that require to be taken 

 up or propagated annually, and protected under 

 glass during winter — our whole dependence was 

 placed on annuals and perennial plants, inter- 

 mixed or associated with shrubs, evergreen and 

 deciduous. No doubt that ten out of every twelve 

 sorts of annuals thus grown were useless trash, 

 weedy in appearance, and producing none of 

 those brilliant effects for which our modern 

 flower-gardens are so conspicuous : and the 

 same may be said of the perennial plants exist- 

 ing in those days. The case is now, however, 

 very much altered ; a new style of annuals was 

 introduced by the collector Douglas and others, 

 mainly through the influence of the London 

 Horticultural Society, and since through that 

 of some of the London nurserymen. The same 

 means introduced many fine perennial plants 

 before unknown to us. Gardeners of the days 

 to which we refer had little idea of producing 

 pleasing and agreeable effects by means of 

 masses of colour, either harmoniously or con- 

 trastedly arranged. Their great aim was to 

 possess a collection of species and genera, with- 

 out much regard to the beauty of individuals, 

 or the effect they were capable of producing. 

 This mania for collections was never carried to the 

 same extent generally in England as in Scotland, 

 in many gardens of which from five hundred to a 

 thousand species might have been found. Like 

 all reforms speedily brought about, the transition 

 from one extreme to the other had its defects. 

 With the destruction of collections of perennial 

 or herbaceous plants, the name they are better 

 known by, many an exceedingly valuable plant 

 was consigned to the rubbish-heap, which, had 

 it been kept and propagated, would have filled 

 its place in the parterre. Here one of the evils 

 of the modern system stares us in the face. Our 

 parterres, or, as some will still have it, our flower- 

 plots, are denuded of all their glory on the first 

 visit of frost — say, as in the present year (1854), 

 the 5th October, when heliotropes, calceolarias, 

 and in many places verbenas and geraniums, 

 gave up the ghost ; and if not, they only left the 

 ghost of their former splendour behind them. 

 From the middle of October, therefore, till the 

 beginning of July, unless where the introduc- 

 tion of bulbs is attended to — a practice unfor- 

 tunately very seldom followed — our flower-gar- 

 dens are next to a blank. Now, we have often 

 thought — nay, we have proved it — that much of 

 this blank space might be filled up by the proper 

 cultivation of certain perennial plants at present 

 only to be found in very few establishments. 

 We will mention a few of these, and begin with 



