NOTES ON A ROCK GARDEN. 



423 



solitary rosettes of richly encrusted leaves, which increase in size until 

 the plant produces its grand spike of snowy blossoms — and then dies. 

 This habit of dying after flowering is the one drawback to a plant 

 which is nevertheless well worth growing, both for its superb silvery 

 rosette and its immense white flower-spike. It should be planted in 

 crevices between the rocks in good gritty loam and limestone on the 

 north side, so as to be protected from the midday sun. S. oppositifolia 

 is a very distinct species, found in Wales and other mountainous parts 

 of Great Britain. It forms carpets of green and bears bright rosy 

 flowers. The species will grow in any position, but does not flower 

 freely except in the sun. Plant on a sloping bank where moisture is 

 accessible to the roots, and use a compost of good, deep, gritty soil with 

 limestone or mortar rubble. When once established, top-dressing 

 with a gritty compost is essential. S. 0. splendens and 5. 0. alba are 

 good varieties. S. retusa resembles S. oppositifolia, but is smaller in 

 habit, with heads of brilliant crimson, narrow-petalled flowers. 



The Saxifrages of the Megasea section, called the giant rock-foils, 

 form a very important group. Their requirements are few, a shel- 

 tered position suiting them best. Foliage very large, attractive, and 

 evergreen, and the massive spikes of flowers in early spring are very 

 effective. 5. ' Brilliant,' S. cordifolia, and 5. afghanica are good 

 varieties. Saxifraga peltata, a Californian species, is quite distinct, 

 and should be grown in raised parts of the bog garden in a sheltered 

 place. It has a thick, fleshy root, and bears large round heads of pink 

 and white flowers before the leaves, which are a bright green, and are 

 toothed and lobed ; an established plant will bear a flower-spike up to 

 3 feet high. 



Onosma echioides (' Golden Drop ') is a very beautiful plant for the 

 rock garden, where it should be planted in sloping vertical fissures, so 

 that no wet can lie about it, and in a hot sunny position, where it is 

 protected from moisture overhead. It does best in well-drained, good, 

 deep, gritty soil, and in summer bears forked drooping clusters of 

 amber-coloured drop-shaped blossoms of delicious fragrance. 



Campanula (Bell-flower) is a very large and popular genus 

 The alpine species are charming for the rock garden, being as a rule 

 not difficult to cultivate ; some are very easy and free growers. C. 

 pulla, which is the most lovely of the dwarf species, bears a profusion 

 of rich deep violet flowers. It is most useful planted in crevices and 

 between stepping-stones. C. pusilla, C. p. alba, and C.p. pallida are of 

 creeping habit, and like chinks between sloping stones. C. garganica, 

 C. g. alba, and C. g. hirsuta are natives of Italy, compact and tufty 

 plants, the flowers in branching racemes. C.pulloides, a rare and splendid 

 hybrid, has large cup-shaped flowers of even deeper colour than C. pulla. 

 C. Portenschlagiana (syn. muralis) is a pretty Dalmatian species of 

 tufty habit, with small crisp leaves, covered all the summer with 

 light blue flowers, and is quite at home when planted in rocky 

 crevices. C. Stansfieldii and C. Tommasiniana are Campanulas which 

 do well planted in small pockets, where they soon become established 



