1877. J 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



101 



whereas nine attempts out of ten are mere abor- 

 tions, as may be clearly proven, if we will only 

 examine the subject and ascertain what we 

 really mean by attempting this class of work. 



The object of rock-work certainly is, or should 

 be, an imitation of nature ; by obtaining with 

 proper soil and situation, such growth and 

 exhibition of certain interesting plants, which in 

 their wild, natural state resort to extremely rocky 

 and stony places, seeking a subsistence ; where 

 strong, rampant vegetation would stand no 

 chance; by cultivating those lovely mountain- 

 eers, which grow in all their delicate green- 

 ness and brightness far above the limit of shrub- 

 by and herbaceous vegetation, in regions where 

 blasts of cutting wind and intense cold prevent 

 their tiny heads from rising more than an inch 

 or two above the earth. 



Now, such are the Alpines; and though the 

 situations in which the Alpine flora luxuriates 

 can only be copied on a very lilliputian scale in 

 our American gardens, still the conditions in 

 which they delight may be imitated to perfec- 

 tion here, and it is from the fact of succeeding 

 with a number of this class of plants that I feel 

 anxious to urge their culture upon our flower 

 lovers; for never will they find a specialty better 

 worthy a trial, nor a pet that will repay them 

 with such constant returns of beauty. 



The beds I am about to describe are appropri- 

 ate alike for the wide area of the country lawn 

 or the contracted court-yard of the city or 

 suburban home; in the one case being extended 

 into wide planes and sheltered nooks, high peaks 

 and sunny knolls, with here a little bit of water, 

 and there a rocky pathway, winding in and out 

 at ''the foot of the mountain." Alpine shrubs 

 and bushes grouped here and there on the 

 mountain-tops, the sides and peaks of which 

 may be " snoiorcapped " with " Spar.," while 

 tiny Swiss chalets dotted about on the sides, or 

 grouped together as a hamlet in the valley, may 

 serve as bee-hives or bird-houses. Here by mak- 

 ing wide slabs of stone, to overhang some min- 

 iature lakelet, with sunny banks and shaded, 

 little valleys, every sort of aspect or nook that 

 could be desired for a particular plant is at hand, 

 and thus vegetation of the most diverse charac- 

 ter is accommodated within a very narrow space 

 by merely preparing soil adapted to the wants 

 of special plants. In the other case, a little bed 

 is dug out to the depth of two feet, with an out- 

 let from the lowest point to insure perfect 

 drainage in this cavity. Coarse stones, lime or 



rubbish must be placed to a depth of from six 

 inches to one foot; upon this arrange large 

 stones, old stumps and trunks of trees, planted 

 firmly on beds of garden soil or stiff loam. 

 Leave many hollow spaces for the plants, into 

 which pack a mixture of leaf-mould, clean sand, 

 coarse gravel (or crushed stones) and peat (or if 

 this is not obtainable, cocoa-nut fibre or refuse 

 will answer), and a little good garden loam, or 

 soil from an old hot-bed, making a coarse, gritty 

 mixture, in which Alpines delight to grow. The 

 requisites of health to these plants are pure air, 

 bright sun-shine (during a portion of the day at 

 least), thorough drainage, loose gritty soil and 

 constant moisture. With these, your plants 

 will gro-w luxuriantly, excepting during cold 

 Spring or open Winter weather, when, being de- 

 prived of their natural covering of snow, with 

 our thaws and severe frosts, they are greatly 

 injured ; but this evil may be remedied by fas- 

 tening a sort of open frame across the bed and 

 covering with canvas tacked to the top, forming 

 an artificial snow. 



Around the edge of the bed arrange rustic 

 stones and roots of various sizes, making as 

 much pleasing diversity as possible, so as to 

 raise the bed about two feet above the surround- 

 ing turf. The large stones, slabs, trunks, &c., in 

 the centre should' crop out from the soil in true 

 rustic fashion ; of course any regular arrange- 

 ment would tend to ugliness, as no one spot 

 should resemble another, and the dip and con- 

 nection of the stones with the soil should be so 

 arranged that the soil will not become washed 

 out with rain or watering. Here Sedums and 

 Sempervivums, such Saxifragas as coesia Ro- 

 chelliana, such Dianthuses as alpinus and pe- 

 trseus, mountain Forget-me-nots, Gentians, little 

 Spring bulbs, Hepatica triloba and a good, wide 

 clump of the Iberis. Pinks will thrive here 

 and do wonderfully well, while the blue tint of 

 the foliage will form charming contrasts with 

 the deep green of the " mossy Saxifrage." The 

 Aubrietias will run up and down the chinks and 

 form lovely mantles for the jutting rocks over 

 which they will climb and ramble; Alyssum 

 saxatile will round into a dense, impenetrable 

 clump, while Arabis lucida, A. procurrens var., 

 and Festuca glauca, with all the Oxalis, silvery 

 Artemisias, dwarf Gnaphalium, Silene alpestris, 

 Dianthus petrseus, Achillea tomentosa, Campan- 

 ulas (dwarf), Erica carnea, Linaria alpina. Phlox 

 verna, frondosa and stolonifera, Alyssum spino- 

 sum, Veronica Candida and saxatilis. Cerastium 



