Pine Barren Beauty

Pine Barren Beauty (Pyxidanthera) - P. barbulata is a curious little American evergreen shrub, smaller than many Mosses, flowering in May, rose-colored in bud, white when open, the effect of the rosy buds and the white flowers on the dense dwarf cushions being singularly pretty: it is plentiful in the sandy dry "Pine barrens" between New Jersey and North Carolina, and often found on little mounds in low but not wet places. It is a charming plant for the rock garden, planted in pure sand and leaf-mould, and fully exposed to the sun. Increase by careful division of old plants, or seeds sown in a cold frame as soon as ripe.