120 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 7, 1903 
from times remote, of daring climbs and hairbreadth escapes 
by tourists, etc., who have scoured the Alps in search of this 
remarkable plant. Many of such stories, however, might well 
keep company with some of our native fishing yarns. There 
is at least no occasion to risk life or limb in the search for it 
nowadays, unless, of course, for the love of the. thing; and to 
some this plant-hunting is a great pleasure. Others, again, do 
it for bounce more than for the love of the plant. At any rate, 
in the case of the Edelweiss, one can get for a few pence 
sufficient seed to colonise a miniature Alp at home—not that 
it is necessary to grow it on the roekwork ; it is equally at 
home on the sloping bank or border. Its downy-looking flower- 
heads resemble a lion’s foot, last a long time, and are at least 
curious if not pretty. 
Santolina incana, commonly known as Cotton Lavender, is, in 
its way, a very distinct plant, with white, sweet-smelling 
foliage, and besides being a useful rock or border subject is 
also prized for cut-flower arrangements. 
Amongst Saxifragas, several have white or silvery-encrusted 
foliage, and even when out of bloom are objects, of great in¬ 
terest, and particularly so if seen in broad patches. The best 
for such purposes are S. Aizoon, S. crustata, S. pectinata, S. 
Churchilii, S. marginata, etc. 
Large carpets of Sedum glaucum look well in conjunction with 
S. acre or S. acre aureum, the three forming a marked con¬ 
trast. Amongst Sempervivums I would single out S. araehnoi- 
deum and S. Laggeri as being highly decorative rock subjects 
on account of their silvery, cobweb-like appearance, the latter 
especially being veiy fine indeed. Tanacetum Herderi has 
silvery white, finely-cut foliage, is dwarf and spreading, and 
makes a fine rock plant. 
Veronica Candida is a lovely white-leaved form of the Speed¬ 
well, growing about 1 ft. in height. By pinching out the 
flower-shoots it makes a good edging plant. Anaphalis mar- 
garitacea is an easily-grown and very effective species of Cotton 
Weed, fine for borders or margins of shrubbery. Centaurea 
babylonica is a splendid plant for the back of large borders or 
the wild garden. It grows from 6 ft. to 8 ft. or more in height, 
has large white lance-shaped leaves and yellow flower-heads in 
July, and is altogether a veiy conspicuous and telling plant. 
Cineraria maritima is a well-known and highly decorative 
plant used for many purposes. I believe it is now classed as 
a Senecio by botanists, but. most people still know it by its 
old name [Senecio Cineraria.— Ed.]. Another very good and 
attractive plant is Eryngium giganteum, known to many as the 
“ Ivory Thistle,” on account of its glistening silvery stems and 
branching flower-heads; beds or groups of this plant have a 
charm unequalled by anything of the same nature. Some 
object to it on account of it being a biennial, but as it is so 
easily raised from seed, and flowers the second year, I think 
the after result completely overshadows any little trouble on 
that score. 
The Onopordons are, of course, indispensable in a, collection 
such as this, but they were so ably dealt with in these columns 
a few weeks ago that I do no more than mention them. The 
Yerbascum family supplies several handsome woolly-leaved 
varieties, such as V. olympicum—the best, I think—V. pan¬ 
nosum, V. Thapsus, V. phlomoides, etc., all of Avhich, besides 
being in themselves ornamental, have gorgeous spikes of yellow 
flowers, and are easily raised from seed. Borderer. 
The Yellow Torch Lily. 
(Kniphofia longicollis.) 
The flowers of this species are relatively slender, tubular, and 
not so densely arranged upon the stem as in K. abides, the 
common Red-hot Poker, so that they assume a more drooping 
habit; and being a bright, uniform yellow, they attract the 
eye by their distinctness. The leaves are deeply channelled, 
keeled, and scabrous on the margin, and in these respects re¬ 
semble the best-known species above named. The stems are 
dwarfer, however, ranging from l-J ft- to 3 ft. high, according 
to the conditions under which the plant is grown. It was 
introduced from Natal by Max Leichtlin, who sent specimens 
to Kew in 1894. It is scarcely so hardy as K. abides, and 
could scarcely be expected to be so, considering that its regular 
flowering period is mid-winter, when it would be liable to be 
broken down by snow or otherwise injured by frost and other 
agencies incident to our murky climate. 
Provided frost is merely excluded, fire-lieat is unnecessary 
to bloom the. plant. The Kew specimen is planted out amongst 
the Rhododendrons in the Himalayan house, close to the glass, 
where it seems perfectly at home and usually attains'a height 
of 3 ft. 
Our illustration was prepared from -a photograph of three 
Kniphofia longicollis. 
spikes shown at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 
on the 27th ult. by J. T. Bennett Poe, Esq. (gardener, Mr. J. 
Downes), Holmwood, Cheshunt. This plant was grown in a 
lG-size pot, stood for a time in a cool greenhouse, and more 
recently placed in a. cool vinery under similar conditions. 
This will give an idea of the relative hardiness of the jflant, and 
also of the uses to which it may be put. About Christmas, and 
more particularly immediately after, there is generally a dearth 
of flowers in winter compared with other periods, and this 
might well be called into requisition for greenhouse and cool 
conservatory decoration, either planted out or grown in pots 
according to the conveniences and requirements of the. estab¬ 
lishment. The plant grown in the pot, as above stated, bore 
four spikes of bloom, the fourth not being so advanced as the 
rest, so it evidently flowers freely in pots. 
