JOUENAL 



OF THE 



Royal Horticultural Society. 



Vol. XVI. 1894. 

 Parts II. and III. 



HOUSES FOR ALPINE PLANTS. 



By Mr. H. Selfe Leonard, F.R.H.S. 



[Head July 25, 1893.] 



In what I have to say to-day on the subject of Alpine Plants, I 

 think it well to premise that I shall use that term as properly 

 denoting mountain plants from temperate climates. But popu- 

 lar usage has, all too successfully, so enlarged the meaning of 

 the term as to cover by it a great number of dwarf plants which 

 have little or nothing in common with true Alpines except their 

 dwarmess. " Words," it has been said, "are the fool's money, 

 but only the wise man's counters." By common agreement any 

 word may be made to mean anything. And it is more profitable 

 to decide on the one sense, out of perhaps many, in which a 

 term shall be used, than to insist that one of those senses alone 

 is the right one. And having regard to my purpose to-day, 

 which is to recommend a certain mode of culture of Alpines, it 

 would obviously be misleading that I should use the term 

 " Alpines" as including other than mountain plants, or any at 

 least which have i liferent cultural requirements. But it chances 

 that there are a number of hardy plants not coming from a 

 mountain habitat but which, either from their natural adapta- 

 bility to varying mditions or from circumstances which may 

 be called accideEW, the same culture happens sufficiently to suit ; 

 these may therefore be, and commonly are, associated with true 



B 



