158 
THE AMATEUR’S FLOWER GARDEN. 
and beautiful family must be “ broken up 99 for present con¬ 
sideration. A considerable number are true alpines, that 
need peculiar treatment; others are fast-growing, and accom¬ 
modating, tufty border plants that boar rough usage, and 
almost refuse to die, though badly treated; and all of them 
are good rockery plants, that love partial shade and a deep 
root-hold in gritty loam, where water cannot possibly stagnate. 
They may all be increased by division of the roots, and by 
seeds sown in a cold frame in spring. In selecting, we shall 
begin with the large-leaved kinds, and recommend for the 
border, but more especially for hillocks and rustic knolls, 8. 
crassifolia , which has broad and oval dark green leaves and 
massive spikes of lilac flowers. 8. jpurjoicrascens is a finer 
plant, but scarce ; the leaves are large and lustrous, the 
flowers purple. 8. ciliata is of smaller growth than the pre¬ 
ceding ; the leaves are hairy, the flowers white suffused with 
pink. This large-leaved section is by some authors separated 
from saxifraga under the generic distinction Megasea. 
The best species of medium growth for borders are the 
following:— 8. Andrewsii , with tongue-shaped leaves and 
conspicuous teeth, and flowers that somewhat resemble those 
of the London Pride. 8. ceratojpJiylla , intense green in 
leafage, and graceful panicles of snow-white flowers. S. geum 
has kidney-shaped leaves, and beautiful white or pink flowers. 
The double variety of 8. granulata is a splendid border plant. 
Lastly, this section would be incomplete if we omitted 8. 
umbrosa, the London Pride, one of the most accommodating 
plants in the world, and one of the most elegant. 
Amongst the smaller tufted-growing species, the best for 
ordinary purposes are S. ccesjpitosa , which forms close cushions 
of emerald green leafage ; the flowers are white ; a moist 
position is one of its chief necessities. 8. liypioides is truly 
moss-like in growth, and the best of the cushion-growing 
kinds, as it will grow almost anywhere, if the situation is 
moist and a little shaded. 
When the cultivator has become accustomed to the ways 
and wants of this interesting family, many more fine species 
may be added to the collection, such as 8. ojojpositifolia , 8. 
cotyledon , 8. hirsutus , 8. diajpensioides , and S. aizoon; bub 
none of these are to be recommended for the mixed border. 
Scilla (Squill).—The best border plant in this genus is 
8. nutans , the nodding squill, the Hyacinthus non-scriptus of 
