Few forms of frailty are more lamentable than vanity, and few variations
of vanity have for some time back seemed to me more stamped with
puerility than garden vanity. Can anything be imagined more childish, or
less worthy of a reasonable human being, than for A or Z to pride
themselves on the fact that whereas _Horificus globuratus fl. pl._
flourishes like a weed in their gardens, it entirely refuses to grow in
those of B or X, despite the fact that B and X have remade the greater
part of their borders, in a spirit of slavish emulation? The same
argument applies, even more forcibly, to other details, such as the
making of cuttings, or layers, the carrying of tender plants through the
winter, the satisfactory growing of vegetables, and so forth; operations
which ought to be approached in the largest and most enlightened spirit,
and never for a moment made the subject of mere petty self-satisfaction,
or of a narrow and arrogant self-laudation.
This point being thoroughly settled, I now proceed to draw out a list of
plants grown successfully from seed by ourselves during the last three
years; premising that this is only our _first_ list, chiefly of
rock-plant seedlings, and that I shall have another, much longer, and
_much_ more important one to draw up when the right time comes!
Alyssum alpestre.
” montanum.
” saxatile.
Anemone Blanda.
” Japonica.
” fulgens.
Aquilegia alpina.
” cœrulea.
” canadensis.
” Jaeschkaui.
” vulgaris.
” vulgaris var. grandiflora
alba.
Arenaria montana.
Antirrhinum (various).
Armeria Laucheana.
” vulgaris.
” vulgaris var. rosea.
” vulgaris var. alba.
Aster alpinus.
Aubrietia deltoides.
” Frœbelli.
” Leichtlini.
Campanula Carpatica.
” garganica.
Campanula pumila.
” turbinata.
” rotundifolia.
” rotundifolia var. alba.
Cerastium tomentosum.
Cheiranthus alpinus.
Dianthus alpinus.
” cæsius.
” cruentus.
” deltoides.
” deltoides var. albus.
Draba aizoides.
Dryas octopetala.
Erinus alpinus.
Erysimum pumilum.
Erodium Manescavi.
” macradenium.
Geranium cinereum.
” sanguineum.
” striatum.
Gentiana acaulis.
” verna.
Geum montanum.
Gypsophilla prostrata.
Helianthemum (various).
Heuchera sanguinea.
Ionopsidium acaule (annual).
Linaria alpina.
” anticaria.
” cymbalaria.
Linum alpinum.
Lychnis alpina.
Myosotis alpestris.
” azorica.
Meconopsis cambrica.
Ononis rotundifolia.
Oxalis floribunda.
Phlox amœna }
” setacea } cuttings
” subulata } easier.
Potentilla nepalenses.
Papaver alpinum.
” nudicaule.
” ” var. miniatum.
” pilosum.
Primula Cashmeriana.
Primula cortusoides.
” denticulata.
” japonica.
” rosea (self-sown).
Ramondia pyrenaica.
Ranunculus montanus.
Saponaria ocymoides.
” ocymoides var.
splendens.
Saxifraga (various; division
easier).
Silene acaulis.
” alpestris.
” Schafta.
Statice maritima.
” ” var. carnea.
” ” var. alba.
Thymus (various; division
again easier).
Tunica saxifraga.
Veronica prostrata.
Vesicaria utriculata.
From this list I have carefully omitted all our defeats. Victors I
observe, invariably do so!