Last issue we began an alphabetical survey of alpines, very miniature shrubs that enhance any layout. We now continue with...

Drapa: This family of small cushions has some tiny forms that take years to reach the size of a tennis ball. As a result, you may grow them very close to railroad tracks. D. rigida (yellow flowers), D. rigida dwarf from (also yellow flowers), and D. dedeana (white flowers) are tight balls. D. repens (yellow flowers again) is a mat form and makes a nice ground cover.

Erigeron: It produces small, daisy-like flowers in profusion. It is very useful growing between and over rocks. Use E. compositus, E. simplex, and E. scopulinum.

Erinus alpinus: A compact, non-spreading clump with beautiful white, rose, pink, and lavender flowers on three to four inch stems. You may increase their number easily by seed.

Gentiana: Every layout should have at least one gentiana. G. acaulis is a slow-growing mat with blue-green foliage. It has magnificent bright glue flowers in the spring. The flowers are a little large but very attractive. This variety likes lime soil. It is very happy with drabas, dianthus, and erinus.

Gypsophilia: The common name for the family is Baby's Breath. It comes in many miniature and dwarf forms. Both clumping and spreading types are available. The flowers last a long time and produce a nice show. G. repens alba and G. repens rosea make nice ground covers but require a lot of pruning just before spring growth. G. cerastioides, G. franzii nana, and G. tenuifolia need little or no pruning.

Hippocrepis comosa: This plant makes a very large mat and produces small yellow flowers. It can be obnoxious in a small area but has its place if you need to cover a lot of soil, for example an area at least 8 feet square.

Houstonia serphyllifolia: An attractive plant making a small mound of fine foliage producing ( in the spring) small blue flowers on four inch stems.

Hosta: Dwarf hostas are a delight to behold if you have shade and moist soil. They are members of the lily family and dormant in the winter. Hosta number 99 has small, heart-shaped leaves and, in the summer, blue flowers. H. venusta has strap-shaped leaves and blue flowers. Other dwarf forms are occasionally available from specialists.

Hypericum: Many forms of this plant appear in general landscaping and you may recognize them by their large buttercup flowers. H. kelleri, though, has a magnificent mat of tiny leaves producing multitudes of minute red buds followed by delicate looking star-shaped flowers about the size of a dime. In hot areas it prefers some protection from the afternoon sun.

Hypsela reniformis: An easy-to-grow, slowly creeping ground cover. It produces abundant, small, pinkish-white flowers during the summer.

Iberis: The candytuft family is well-known for producing mounds of white flowers in spring. A few dwarf forms, such as I. "Little Gem", makes a fantastic cascade over a wall. I. saxatillis (now I. sayana) is the tiniest form, making a very slow growing, almost prostrate mound and produces flowers only an inch and a half tall. It is a nice foreground plant with many uses.

Iris: Many kinds of iris have dwarf forms adaptable to the periphery and background of a layout. I am aware of no miniature forms available for scale model railroading. Specialty nurseries carry the dwarf, bearded types and many general nurseries carry dwarf bulb types from Holland, particularly in the fall.

Lewisia columbiana var rupicola: It has rosettes of narrow, strap like leaves. The rosette clusters produce magnificent sprays of pink flowers with dark pink stripes on six-inch stems. Protect the plant from hot sun.

Limonium minutissima: Miniature statice with its tiny, evergreen leaf rosettes, forms a bun producing sprays of minute lavender flowers on three inch stems. They last for weeks in the summer.

Lysimachia japonica minutissima: It is a superb mat for cool, shady places. It produces tiny, light yellow star flowers in the summer.

Mentha requienii: Its common name is Corsican mint and it is a mat of tiny round leaves and miniscule, lavender-blue flowers. It produces a distinctive mint aroma when you touch or step on it and it prefers a cool location. It may disappear in winter during extreme cold.

Ophiopogon: Several forms of mondo grass are well suited to our needs. O. japonica nana makes a clump of grass-like foliage two and one half inches high. O. clarkii is four inches tall. And O. variegata stands six inches. All do well in moist areas and sun. They are particularly useful around ponds, streams, and miniature lumber mills. The most spectacular form is O. planiscapus nigrescens (black mondo grass). It produces black leaves one quarter inch wide by six inches long and requires shade. All have flower stems slightly taller than the leaves and produce small lavender bell-shaped flowers.

Next time we'll wrap up our survey of alpines.