Rock Beauty

Rock Beauty (Petrocallis) - P. pyrenaica is a beautiful little alpine plant, forming dense cushions 2 to 3 inches high, resembling a mossy Saxifrage, with fragrant pale lilac flowers, faintly veined, coming in April. Though hardy, it is fragile, and happiest on the rock garden, in sandy fibry loam, in level sunny spots, where it can root freely in moist soil mingled with broken stones. It may also be grown in pots plunged in sand in the open air, and in frames in winter, but it becomes "drawn" and delicate under glass. Increase by seed or careful division. Alps and Pyrenees. P. fenestrata is a newer kind, of similar habit but with white flowers.