February 14, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
139 
THE ROCK GARDEN. 
Half-Hardy Cacti. 
A large proportion of the Cacti can be grown under very 
cool conditions, and several are even described as hardy; but 
so far as experiment has hitherto gone it seems more a question 
of perfect dryness at the roots than mere temperature. Excess 
of moisture is always detrimental to this class of vegetation, 
especially in winter; so that any attempt to cultivate them 
entirely in the open must aim at keeping them fairly dry at 
all times. During summer they grow freely enough—in fact, 
too freely—when planted in fairly moist, rich soil ; and pro¬ 
vided the temperature were to remain fairly high during winter 
in this country the question of utilising them in the open 
ground would be solved. 
O t a 
The object of keeping them fairly chy, even in summer, is 
Those who are fond of this class of plants might even go 
further and build some portions of the rockwork rather steeply, 
so that Opuntias and other relatively hardy forms of Cacti, as 
well as American Aloes, and true Aloes or their allies, might 
be planted in the crevices, where the roots would be kept rela¬ 
tively diy, and moisture would be thrown oft'. The illustra¬ 
tion was taken in the gardens at Leonardslee, Horsham, the 
seat of Sir Edmund Giles Loder, Bart. 
Early Spring Flowers. 
Adonis anrurensis still maintains its reputation for early 
flowering. It has, indeed, been flowering for' a fortnight past 
in the herbaceous Sound at Kew, where it is protected by a 
hand-light; but on the rockery it is fully exposed, and though 
Half-Hardy Cacti at Leonardslee, Horsham. 
to prevent a too luxuriant and sappy growth, which would be 
more liable to injury from frost .'and a long-continued low tem¬ 
perature in winter than if they had been grown on the starva¬ 
tion principle. Some cultivators have been fairly successful 
with them, even in the far north, by growing them on rock- 
work close to the wall of some building or against a hothouse. 
The latter is a good method for dealing with half-hardy sub¬ 
jects of various kinds, for when they are grown in a narrow 
border close to the wall of the hothouse they enjoy the warmth 
and protection of the latter. 
Our illustration shows a colony of Cacti, consisting chiefly of 
Opuntias. The forms best known in this country for outdoor 
culture are 0. vulgaris, 0. Rafinesquei, now both referred to 
0. mesacantha of Raftnesque, a native of the United States, and 
figured in the “Botanical Magazine,” t. 7041. The plants in 
question have had a place specially prepared for them with a 
light and porous, well-drained soil. Stones are freely used 
over the soil, and large pieces are built up behind them, and 
leaning forward so as to throw the rain off them as much as 
possible. This is highly beneficial to them during winter by 
keeping the roots dry and less susceptible to injury from frost 
when that occurs. 
not quite so happy, perhaps, as the one that is covered with 
glass, it is nevertheless equally forward. The flowers are 
bright yellow with a bronzy exterior, which is best seen in 
the half-opened state of the flowmr. The leaves remind one 
forcibly of a Davallia; and the plant is an acquisition on 
account of its earliness. 
In the Alpine House are several pans of Cyclamen ibericum 
from the Caucasus, which are a perfect picture of what hardy 
Cyclamen should be. No doubt the protection accorded to 
them has enabled them to develop to a state of perfection 
which they could not have done out of doors in February. 
Nevertheless we have seen this species flowering very’' early 
under the name of C. coum vernum, which, however, is not the 
correct name. The leaves have a gray zone on the upper sur¬ 
face which distinguishes the species from C. coum. The 
flowers are of rich rose-purple with a maroon-crimson zone at 
the mouth. 
On the rockery, is a plant of Pulmcnaria rubra, a little- 
known species from Transylvania, and in full bloom at the 
present time. The stems are 3 in. to 6 in. high, and the leaves 
are small and green at the present time. The flowers are 
bright red and cheerful at this early period of the year. 
