March 27, 1909. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
205 
Ar? Alpine Pink. 
(Dianthus neglectus). 
Something like three hundred or more 
species of wild Pink are known to science, 
and some of the most beautiful of them 
come from high elevations. For instance, 
D. neglectus under notice has flowers 
many times the size of the Maiden Pink, 
which grows in meadows, and the colour is 
of an intense rose-red—some would even 
describe it as crimson. While not in 
flower the plant is not very conspicuous, 
as it forms simply a dwarf and dense tuft 
of green leaves so narrow as to have a 
grassy appearance. The flower stems 
vary "from 3 in. to 6 in. in height, and 
each bears one large flower, as a rule, 
though occasionally a stem may carry 
two.. The accompanying illustration 
shows a plant of this alnine Pink. Need¬ 
less to say, it istnost suitably placed upon 
the rockery, either in a pot of soil that is 
rendered light and well drained by being 
mixed with pieces of some soft or porous 
stone, or by being inserted in some cre¬ 
vice between larger stones of some porous 
kind that will hold the moisture in sum¬ 
mer. The use of small pieces of stone in 
the soil is to prevent stagnant moisture 
about the roots in winter. 
— Double — 
Purple pocket. 
(Hesperis matronalis purpurea plena). 
Most of the Rockets to be seen in gar¬ 
dens are single, but the double purple 
and the double white are far more 
ornamental. In certain soils they may 
be a little more troublesome than the 
singles, but they are worthy of a small 
amount of care to get ,handsome and 
sweet scented flowers during May 
and June. The accompanying illustra¬ 
tion shows the double purple variety 
which flowered in the herbaceous 
-ground at Kew last year. It will be seen 
that each plant is furnished with a strong 
terminal spike with some branches at the 
bas^. Those are the first to bloom, but a 
succession of flowers is kept up from the 
smaller'branches which arise lower down 
amongst the leaves. 
In some soils these double varieties are 
liable to die away or degenerate after the 
first year or so, but any grower who takes 
the precaution can renew his plants 
by taking cuttings in September. 
In order to secure good cuttings 
a few plants may be grown in the 
reserve ground, and cut down early to 
. cause them to make a good growth at the 
base. So long as plenty of leaf shoots 
can be obtained, a stock is assured by 
taking each off with a small portion of 
the stem, and rooting each singly in small 
pots of light sandy soil under a hand-light, 
or in a cold frame. Besides their use for 
garden decoration, these double Rockets 
may be cut and placed in vases of water, 
for the flowers are as delightfully scented 
as a Stock. 
Dianthus neglectus. \Macldren and Sons. 
Hesperis matronalis purpurea plena. [Maclaren and Sons'. 
