ALPINE PLANTS. 
381 
limestone rocks the addition of lime in some form is necessary. A fifth 
part of lime rubbish from an old building is just the thing. Failing 
this, fresh lime will do, but in smaller proportions. Mostly all the 
Saxifrages, particularly the encrusted species, grow on limestone at an 
altitude of from 6,000 to 9,000 feet. Some Alpines delight in a peaty 
soil, such as the hardy Ericas, Lithospermum, Rhododendrons, &c. Yet 
even these will grow and thrive in the compost I have named. The best 
way to apply the soil is to pack the stones with it while building. Soils 
for special plants can be added in special places as required. 
The whole rockery is the better of an annual top-dressing of fresh 
soil, but care should be taken not to cover the stones too much, else its 
character as a rockery will be lost. Manure should not be applied ex- 
cept in quite special cases. Every means should be taken to prevent a 
strong soft growth, as it hinders many species from flowering, and unfits 
them for resisting the damp of winter, and the withering frosty winds of 
spring. 
Suitable Plants. — The choice of these depends to a great extent on 
the taste of the cultivator and the size of the rockery. Where space is 
limited, it is advisable to select only the choicest Alpines. Where the 
rock-garden is a large one, in addition to the strictly Alpine kinds, plants 
of a dwarf and showy character should be added. To give a descriptive 
list of all the Alpine and dwarf plants suitable for rock-gardens in this 
country would take up too much space. There are hundreds of species 
and varieties. The strictly Alpine plants would be well represented by 
about 150 different kinds, while there are 450 or 500 species and varieties 
of dwarf plants eminently suited for the purpose. 
The following is a list of the genera (but is by no means complete) 
which should be represented : — 
Achillea 
Hutchinsia 
iEthionema 
Hypericum 
Alyssum 
Iberis 
Androsace 
Linaria 
Anemone 
Lithospermum 
Antennaria 
Lychnis 
Aquilegia 
Myosotis 
Arenaria 
Onosma 
Arabis 
Ourisia 
Arnebia 
Phlox 
Aubretia 
Potentilla 
Campanula 
Primula 
Cyananthus 
Ramondia 
Cyclamen 
Ranunculus 
Dianthus 
Saponaria 
Dryas 
Saxifraga 
Erica 
Sedum 
Erinus 
Sempervivnm 
Erodium 
Silene 
Erythronium 
Soldanella 
Genista 
Thymus 
Gentiana 
Tropffiolum 
Geranium 
Veronica 
Geum 
Viola 
Helianthemum 
Wahlenbergia 
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