MECONOPS/S 8 1 
Of M. bella it is enough to say, that 
the few who have been privileged to 
see it on the wet rocks of Sikkim, reckon 
it quite unsurpassed among flowering 
plants, and that up to date no one — 
unless by good fortune exception be 
made for Dr Balfour at Edinburgh- 
has succeeded in getting it past the 
seedling stage. Even the Californian 
M.heterophylla shares the family frailty. 
Of annual duration, it grows rapidly 
into a top-heavy little bush, and any 
wind stronger than a zephyr has little 
diflicultyin snapping it off at the collar. 
It is too early yet to say anything of value 
as to M, racemostis and M. pimicetcs^ 
save that the flrst named has begun to , 
seed satisfactorily. 
There remains the Welsh Poppy, our 
native N. cajnbrica. Here at last all i 
frailty disappears. A strong and vigor- 
ous perennial, regardless of wind and 
weather, M. cambrica is a true poor i 
man's plant. But in addition to these 
merits it yields a long succession of 
flowers which are not surpassed in deli- 
cate beauty by any member of the family. 
It was the writer's good fortune to come, 
last July, upon a large colony of the 
Welsh Poppy in a remote alpine soli- 
tude, where its effect was as indescrib- 
able as Nature's careless effects gener- ' 
ally are. But it gave a valuable hint as 
to the way in which this flne wildling 
might be used in the damp, rocky 
ground which is its chosen habitat. 
Lately the plant has shown signs of 
breaking, and has produced offspring | 
with orange and with double flowers. ; 
Here is a chance for an amateur with 
the necessary time to spare. Let him ' 
species. 
give US a race of Welsh Poppies cover- 
ing all the pure and splendid colours 
which the Poppy so loves to wear. The 
results might be even more valuable 
than those now being gotiromPapave?- 
ormitale. ARTHUR K. BULLEY. 
Fuller knowledge of the plants 
of Central Asia has increased 
the Meconopsis group to nearly a score 
ofkinds ,of which all save two are from the 
high mountains of that region, the ex- 
ceptions being M. ca7n6?^ica in Europe 
and M. heterophylla in America. Few 
plants are better worth a place in the 
flower-garden and most of the kinds are 
hardy in our climate, but so far they are 
not among the most easily grown, the 
stagnant moisture of our winters rather 
than their cold, beingagainst them. And 
yet they are all water-loving plants, seen 
at their best in moist summers, and soon 
crippled in times of drought. To pre- 
serve them from excessive damp in win- 
ter , many growers place a layer of broken 
sandstone round those that keep their 
leaves, and slanting panes of glass are also 
usedtowardoff heavy rain. At the same 
time one of their most charming effects 
is that of the gleaming raindrops stand- 
ing on the hairy leaves after a shower. 
They do best in well-drained parts of 
the rock-garden, in deep, gritty soil, 
and sheltered from hot sun, especially 
in the south of England. A mixture of 
peat and loam suits the taller kinds well, 
and they may be grouped in such soil 
along with the Himalayan Primulas, or 
other plants such as the large-flowered 
Mimulus, which help to keep the sur- 
face cool and moist. As with all the 
Poppy tribe, it is important to sow the 
