THE ROCK GARDEN

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 109, 10 May 1934, Page 18

THE ROCK GARDEN

ANTHYLLIS AND AUBRETIA

(By T. W. Attwood.)

Farrer, in "The English Rock Garden," says, lanuginosa can be easily propagated by cuttings. With some of the other rosette varieties that produce, runners it has been found a perfectly safe method to place a stone on or near the end of the runner and it ■will root quite readily.

Anthyllis is a family of pea flowers all true rock plants. Our acquaintance with this family has been so far confined to A. Montana, a native of the European Southern Alps. It makes a prostrate mat of rather woolly leaves with heads of pea flowers on stems a few inches long which lie over the plant. A pretty useful little plant for dry sunny corners, but must not be overgrown by other plants ana prefers limestone.

Perhaps there is no plant more beautiful in spring and early summer than a well-grown pocket of;; aubretia. but when one comes to named varieties confusipn .seems to: be the order'of the day^hey are, apart from a few clearly distinct varieties,, just no end of hybrids, many of which .parade under fancy names with no particle of claim to distinction. Most of the newer varieties named, or unnamed, are so useful and the.difference, between them in habit and colouring: so, slight we can welcome most heartily any that come our way. They should 'be cut back fairly close to the ground after flowering, and the plants may be divided up if necessary. They; seem to adapt themselves, to almost any conditions, but will respond • readily to improved'