i64 HARDY PERENNIALS 
Meconopsis. — It would be easy to write glowingly 
of the Welsh Poppy, Meconopsis Cambrica, which 
in both its single and double forms of both canary 
yellow and rich orange is extremely pretty in both 
flower and leaf, but it must be confessed that by 
comparison with some of the Chinese and Himalayan 
Meconopsis our little Cambrian friend appears a 
very modest little flower. The wonderful glistening 
flowers of M. Wallichii, with their crumpled petals 
of pale blue, overlain \vith the sheen of finest satin, 
or the charming primrose-yellow blossoms of M. 
integrifolia are two of the choicest and most fascina- 
ting of a quite exceptionally lovely family, and 
their fine mounds of foliage clothed with conspicuous 
silky hairs increase their value. To grow Mecon- 
opsis well, a soil that is perfectly drained must be 
secured. Some peat, an abundance of sand, and 
a sprinkling of small charcoal will make a loamy soil 
sufficiently porous. During the growing season the 
soil may be well saturated with moisture, but in 
Winter the rains and melting snows must be able 
to drain rapidly from the plants or trouble will 
ensue. Young stock should be annually raised from 
seed, for most of the choice kinds perish after one 
season's flowering, which is generally in the second 
year of growth. 
Mertensia. — It is something to have a plant that 
is extremely easy to grow and is at the same time 
of uncommon beauty. In Mertensia Siberica we 
certainly have such a plant. Its foliage is glaucous, 
