HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



61 



HOW TO MAKE A PERNERY. 



WE know of no pleasure so agreeable to a true 

 lover of nature as those which include 

 practical botany— the study and cultivation of living 

 plants. Of these, few have received more attention 

 than ferns; and as we have at various times 

 received many applications how to proceed in the 

 construction of a garden fernery, we feel we cannot 

 do better than quote the following from Hooper's 

 " Gardening Guide " for 1873 * In doing so we 

 have also taken advantage of the remarks in the 

 same pamphlet on " Alpineries," a word coined 

 by Mr. Smee in his recent book, "My Garden," 

 which is likely now to be current. Alpine plants 

 are particularly beautiful, and worthy of cultiva- 

 tion : — 



Fig. 43. Right way to constiuct Uock-work for Fernery. 



" The desire for a rockery of some kind is now 

 generally evident in most gardens ; but, unfortu- 

 nately, from want of attention to the necessities of 

 the plants, and the manner in which they are found 

 in their native state, it ofteu finds issue in the 

 construction of something, which, albeit it is 

 frequently very costly, is neither suitable to the 



Kig. 44. Wrong way of ditto. 



plants nor satisfactory to true taste. In the first 

 place, a heap of stones is not rockwork, neither will 

 plants thrive in dry, dusty soil loosely spread be- 



* Hooper & Co., Covent Garden, who have kindly granted 

 the use of illustrations, which weie first prepared for " Alpine 

 Flowers for Eiiglisli Garden^,'' by W. Robinson, F.L.S. 



tween such, although we have seen numberless 

 cases of the attempt having been made. The stones 

 must be the second consideration, and the soil the 

 first, and not vice versa. Once having accepted 

 this fact, the principle of construction will be more 

 or less correct. Rockwork on a large scale should 

 consist of large masses of stone jutting out from 

 hills of soil ; on a small scale it may consist rather 

 of a mass of soil covered over more or less with 

 half-embedded stones, burrs, &c. ; but in either 

 case, a solid mass of stone is a sine qua non as a 

 foundation. Roots of trees are also suitable, as 

 well as stony materials, more especially, however, 

 when the construction is for a fernery than for an 



Fig. 45. Cave over water in an existing Fernery— planted 

 with Sfruthio/ileiis Germanica, Scnlopendrium crisvum, 

 Afpli'nuni trich(imani:s, A. marbiuin, &c.— with water plants 

 below . 



alpinery. They have, however, this objection, that 

 they fall into decay, and also (if it can be considered 

 an objection) produce fungi, though, for our own 

 part, we consider a few of these in a fernery an 

 additional charm. As the rustic appearance of 

 roots is very suitable amongst ferns, we confess to 

 have a liking for the moderate use of them. The 

 recent introduction of cork bark for this purpose, 

 however, must not be omitted from our list of 

 materials for rockwork-making. It has many ad- 

 vantages, not the least of which is the fact that it 

 is simply a soil-coverer, and does not rob the plants 

 of any space in which to grow. It requires securely 

 fixing by means of struts of wood, &c., thrust into 

 the soil, to the end of which the cork is strongly 

 nailed. * Tufa,' also, must not be overlooked ; it 

 is a very porous petrifaction, and in every way very 

 much to be recommended. Whatever is used to 

 construct the rockery, be careful to keep in view 



