144 THE FLOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 



the margin. Two of the prettiest and most effective beds I have 

 ever seen were made in this way, and bj the bare projection of the 

 points of the stones here and there through the vegetation, looked 

 more suggestive of rockery than an infinitely more costly and com- 

 plicated structure. When a larger bed or mound is m.aking, 

 instead of making the first layer of the foundation rest immediately 

 or nearly over it, they should fall back so as to leave one foot of soil 

 exposed in one spot, and from that to three or even four, and then 

 begin again as bold as you like, according to the size of the bed. 

 This will allow of a varied and luxuriant vegetation to half cover 

 and contrast beautifully with the stones that rise towards the back 

 or centre. Of course anything like regularity in the disposal of the 

 edges would tend to ugliness ; I merely so speak for simplicity 

 sake. No one spot in the whole should resemble another, and 

 the dip and connection of the stones with the soil should be so 

 managed that the soil could not run down with watering, etc. The 

 planting of free-rooting things in some spots would help that, and 

 indeed it would not be desirable to plant any but free-rooting things 

 on such compositions. In making more pretentious work against 

 banks, etc., the same principle should be carried out — «.e., torise 

 more gradually and leave plenty of soil exposed in ledges, etc., for 

 planting when all is over. Of course there is nothing to prevent 

 the work being carried as high as may be desired at the same time, 

 as in this way they may be made much higher than by the nearly 

 perpendicular plan. 



A small rocky bed made in this way, fully exposed to the sun, 

 and the soil silvery peat, and rough sand and grit, with good drainage, 

 pure air, and abundant water, would grow the rarest and most 

 beautiful alpines that have yet been introduced. The free and 

 common kinds kindly dispense with the pure air and silvery peat, I 

 can think of nothing prettier for the town and villa garden than one 

 of those well-covered rocky beds. 



The plants that would flourish on such are many, and easily ob- 

 tained. A good wide clump of Iberis would delight in the situation, 

 and look a neat green bush all the year round — white as snow about 

 the beginning of May. The Pink — both the species and the florists' 

 kinds will be less ragged and longer lived on it than on the level by 

 far, and the colour of its leaves would contrast well with the delight- 

 ful green of the mossy Saxifrage, so well developed in mid-winter, 

 when almost every other plant is in rags, or at rest. The Aubrie- 

 tias would run up and down the chinks, and look far better wrapping 

 themselves round the stone than ever they do on the level. Alyssum 

 saxatile, which is so indispensable to the spring gardener, but which 

 usually rots off" on the London clay during the winter, would form a 

 dense imperishable bush on it, and of course the Arabis would not 

 object to it, that being at home everywhere. Then the variegated 

 Arabis lucida, and the still brighter and prettier Arabis procurrens 

 variegata, would look very smart on a select spot, and contrast 

 capitally with their neighbours. "What could equal the position 

 for the more select kinds of hardy variegated plants ? The purple 

 Shamrock, purple Oxalis, variegated Cocksfoot, Festuca glauca, 



