THE GARDENING WORLD. 
405 
Miy 9 - 1901 
Viola biflora. 
For a cool place in light shade, this tiny alpine 
Violet is very pretty during the month of May. Each 
stem produces two flowers, 'as a rule placed singly 
on shoots that seldom exceed 4 in. in height, but their 
bright yellow colour and three to five brown rays on 
the lip make it a cheerful flower. It may be propa¬ 
gated by division after it has finished flowering. If 
small pieces are taken off it would be well to put 
them in pots of sandy soil and leaf mould, placing the 
pots in a frame or handlight until the pieces get 
established. 
Alyssum podolicum. 
When planted in full exposure in crevices of rock- 
work, this little Crucifer is from 1| in. to 3 in. in 
height, and bears a profusion of snow-white flowers, 
almost covering the foliage. It may he propagated 
by cuttings, but seeds are as freely produced as in 
the better-known A. saxatile, and young plants may 
be raised in any quantity with great ease in a cold 
frame. 
The leaves are covered with shaggy hairs, which give the 
rosettes a hoary appearance, which is more decidedly evident on 
the old leaves than the young ones. The flower scapes are 
usually about 3 in. high, and carry an umbel of cheerful rosy 
flowers with a yellow eye, 
Primula calycina. 
Several species of Primulas from the Alps of Europe bear a 
close relationship to one another, as well as resemblance. 
They are, nevertheless, very handsome, and well worthy of a 
little attention to place them in positions on the rockery where 
they will get sufficient shelter while in bloom in early spring, 
and also an adequate supply of moisture. That under notice 
comes from Lombardy, and has spathulate, deep green, and 
smooth leaves. The scape is only 3 in. or 4 in. high, bearing a 
truss of large purple flowers with a white eye. It grows slowly, 
Cyrtostachys Kenda duvivieriana. (See p. 402.) 
but offsets may be obtained, and can be established in pots 
before planting in their permanent positions on the rockery. 
Muscari armeniacum. 
With few exceptions, the Grape Hyacinths may be regarded 
as neglected plants at the present day. Several of them are 
extremely pretty, and would be a delightful adjunct to the rock 
garden during April and May, when they are chiefly in bloom. 
The leaves are diffuse and lie upon the ground, and the flower 
scapes rise up to a height of 3 in. to 6 in., and bear* a dense 
conical raceme of bright blue flowers, that are certainly both 
cheerful and effective. A clump of bulbs could be inserted 
in some convenient situation in the pockets of the rockery, 
where their space could be taken later on by the foliage of 
something that would thus cover the ground, and prevent the 
appearance of nakedness when the bulbs are down. Blue is 
a colour that is by no means too plentiful in the rock garden 
during spring, and of the several species of Muscari the above 
is certainly one of the most handsome. 
THE ALPINE GARDEN. 
Plants in Bloom. 
Saxifraga muscoides atropurpurea. 
Like most of the mossy-leaved Saxifragas, the species under 
notice is very variable, but one of the prettiest is certainly the 
variety atropurpurea- The leafy suckers are very short, and 
make beautiful, bright green, compact patches, above which 
the flower stalks rise only to a height of 1 in. or thereabout, 
and bear deep red and sometimes purple flowers. In the same 
patch one may often find two or more shades of colour, but 
the dark red is certainly the most attractive. The variety is 
of the easiest cultivation on a rockery when placed under suit¬ 
able conditions, and may be easily propagated by inserting 
the rosettes of leaves singly in sandy soil under a 
handlight, and keeping just moist. 
Primula frondosa. 
At first sight this species bears a close resemblance 
to the Bird’s-eye Primrose, the flowers being rosy 
purple with a yellow eye, and a red aureole round it. 
The plant has a great weakness for producing leaves 
in enormous numbers, but these are arranged in neat 
rosettes, from the centre of which flower scapes arise 
to the height of a few inches. The leaves are obovate, 
and somewhat similar to those of P. scotica, but are 
larger, and the plant is always more bulky. It is a 
native of Thrace, and in a moist, peaty soil at the 
base of the rockery it seems to stand well and flowers 
handsomely. 
Iberis saxatilis. 
The leaves of this species are very small, and thickly clothe 
the dwarf stems, which make little dense tufts upon a rockery. 
Though a native of South Europe, it inhabits mountains, and 
therefore proves hardy in this country, being one of the earliest 
of the hardy species to bloom in the open air. The flowers 
are of moderate size in accordance with the rest of the plant, 
which grows slowly, but after it has been established for a year 
or two some little tufts of it are very interesting in the rock 
garden. It is easily propagated by cuttings under a hand- 
light in pots of sandy soil during summer. 
Androsace sarmentosa. 
As the specific name would indicate, this species forms 
runners, which spread over the ground like those of a 
Strawberry. When planted on the rockery they do not ramble 
far.as a rule, and, indeed, often appear hen-and-chicken fashion, 
owing to the offsets being seated around the mother plant. 
