THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
5 
must have majesty of aspect and richness of colour ; and to give 
them a perfect right to the place they occupy, the owner should 
have a story to tell about them — when and where quarried, the 
cubic measurement and weight of each block, the nature of the 
strata to which they belong, and whatever details of geological or 
geographical interest may attach to them. If a philosopher can give 
you a tour hours’ lecture on a wayside pebble, surely your minera- 
logical ornaments must be capable of yielding some items of amuse- 
ment and instruction. 
About flower-gardens, and all bright orderly scenes, every bit of 
rough stone should be made beautiful with flowers. A very few 
plants will in such cases produce an effect, for there is no position 
in which flowers look more grateful to the eye than when springing 
from the clefts of a boulder, or the sides or summit of a dark mound. 
The eye is arrested at once, and art seems to have set a chaplet on 
the brow of nature. All creeping and trailing plants that flower 
gaily, and that endure a season, are suitable, except of course those 
of large growth ; and where the bank does not offer a suitable soil 
for them, ten minutes’ labour with a trowel will suffice to remove a 
stone or two, or the soil from between them, so as to make room for 
sufficient of the proper compost in which the plant will prosper. If 
sandy loam, with a moderate admixture of leaf-mould and well- 
rotted manure, is used in the construction of the mound, a foot deep 
all over its exterior, there is scarcely anything you may wish to 
plant in it but is sure to flourish. Plants that spread or trail, such 
as geraniums, verbenas, and petunias, will suit better than those of 
stiff growth, such as asters or chrysanthemums. They should be 
gay ones too, and but sparingly planted. 
Por very dry elevated positions the most useful deciduous trees 
are Thorns, Caraganas, Halimodendron argenteum, Kolreuteria 
paniculata, Althaea frutex, Euonymus europaeus, Gleditschia horrida, 
Ornus europaeus, Pyrus aucuparia, Rhus cotinus, Rhus glabra, Rhus 
typhina, Robinia pseudo- acacia. 
The evergreens most likely to thrive in dry elevated sites are 
common Jiox, Holly, several species of Cistus, Cotoneaster, Gre- 
villea rosmarinifolia, Rhamnus latifolius. 
A SELECTION' OF ONE HUNDRED ALPINE AND HARDY PERENNIALS 
SUITABLE FOR ROCKERIES. 
Achillaea millefolium rubra, Alyssum saxatile compactum, Andro- 
meda hypnoides, Androsace carnea, A. ciliata, A. lactea, A. obtusi- 
folia, Auemone vitifolia, Antennaria tomentosa, Arabis albida, A. 
lucida variegata, Aretia vitaliana, Aubrietia Campbelli, A. deltoidea 
grandiflora, A. purpurea variegata, Campanula aggregata, C. alpina, 
Cheiranthus alpinus, Chimapbila umbellata, Cistus formosus, Cycla- 
men coum, C. graeeum, Dianthus alpinus, D. caesius. D. glacialis, 
Dictamnus fraxinella, Erigeron speciosus, Eritrichium nauum, 
Erpetion reniforme (elegant little plants of the violet family, well 
adapted for rockwork, growing in sandy peat, and easily increased 
by separating their runners. They require, however, protection 
J anuary. 
