62 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



these primary necessities. "First, that the whole 

 body of soil must be contiguous, and no part of it 

 detached from the rest ; that is to say, no pockets 

 of soil on the surface to receive plants must be dis- 

 connected from the bulk ; and secondly, place the 

 facing material in such a manner that no piece over- 

 hangs so as to keep tlie rain off any portion, but 

 the reverse, allowing every plant and the portion 

 of soil ia whicli it grows to have the direct benefit 

 of the showers. [See accompanying sketches, figs. 

 43, 44, 45.] 



" It now remains in this brief essay just to indi- 

 cate the positions and soils for the foregoing struc- 

 tures ere we pass on to another subject. 





Fig-. 4G. Alpine Plants bordering a shrubbery. ', 



"A fernei'y nuibt be in tlie shade. Hosts of 

 ferns will grow in tlie sun, but none will look really 

 nice there. Select, therefore, a well-shaded spot 

 for a fernery, and, if necessary, sink the ground- 

 level a little, throwing up the soil on the banks ; 

 this will give further seclusion, shade, and moisture 

 to a spot where these elements are so in character. 

 The garden walks may be constructed to decline 

 gently into this lower level, and the variation will 

 generally be found a pleasant one. 



" Though a shady spot is necessary for a fernery, 

 a icell-drained one is also indispensable ; and this 

 must be well borne in mind, especially for the rock 

 species, which cannot endure stagnant water about 

 their roots ; a properly-constructed bank, however, 

 will generylly secure good drainage from its form 

 and position. The best main soil for a fernery is 

 good yellow loam ; the greater number of hardy 

 ferns do well in this; some, however, like peat. 

 Perhaps the perfection of fernery soil is two parts 



loam and one part peat. The latter can be in 

 greater quantity when those kinds are planted that 

 prefer it. By no means use fine, sifted soil, but 

 always more or less lumpy, and let it be very solid 

 and firm between the masses of stone, &c., that 

 there may be no shrinking away from the roots 

 after planting. If the fernery is small, one irre- 

 gular bank is preferable to a great many ins and 

 outs and details; but if space is abundant, the work 

 may be more antricate, and a good many aspects 

 and degrees of declivity may be provided, thereby 

 meeting the necessities of a great variety-of species. 

 To produce t hat luxuriance of growth which is such 

 a charm to ferns, a daily syringing with water over- 

 head is necessary during summer. It may 

 be worth while to mention that ferns are 

 plants that bear frequent moving badly, as 

 will be proved in the experience of the 

 cultivator, from the much better appearance 

 they present after being several years in one 

 place. 



"An Alpinery requires a position the 

 reverse of that selected for ferns. Instead 

 of seeking the shady, sequestered spot over- 

 arched with leafy trees, scarcely any situ- 

 ation can be too open or exposed for this. 

 The full blaze of the noonday sun, which 

 would in a couple of hours blast the beauty 

 of the ricb, feathery fronds of the Athyriums, 

 or wither into tinder the exquisite greenness 

 of the tender Oak Pern, would draw out the 

 rich blossoms of a Jiost of gems amongst the 

 Alpines, and light up their charming hues 

 with their true lustre. The love of sunshine, 

 and the need of it, too, is almost universal 

 in this class of plants ; and the position 

 selected cannot, therefore, be too much ex- 

 posed to it. But this is not the only side of 

 the question, although it is where many 

 cultivators have stopped short, to their ultimate 

 discomfiture and disappointment. If Alpines need 

 sun, they also need moisture ' behind the scenes,' 

 and many a good collection has been lost through 

 the want of a proper arrangement securing this. 



"In their natural habitat, the brilliant sunshine 

 which calls forth into rich blossom their hitherto 

 dormant buds, at the same time melts the snow 

 which has surrounded them, and this winter-stored 

 water thus gradually let loose, percolating per- 

 petually between the masses of rock whereon they 

 grow, keeps a constant supply of water at their 

 roots, ever changing, never stagnant, and thus 

 maintains that luxuriance of growth which other- 

 wise appears difficult to account for in the face of 

 the apparent dryness visible on the surface. It 

 may surprise some, perhaps, to learn that many of 

 the diminutive plants of this class, which scarcely 

 raise their spreading leafage two inches above the 

 surface, strike their tiny roots many feet in depth 



