August 17, 1907 



HORTICULTURE 



199 



The Rockery 



A rockery is not merely a collection of rocks planted 

 on a mound and suggestive of a dog cemetery, but rather 

 a question of providing a suitable home for rare, and 

 otherwise, alpines and rock plants. It must be service- 

 able as well as ornamental. The most important feature 

 is the construction of congenial homes suitable for the 

 requirements of each species. Winding walks, mounds 

 and dells can be formed and with the addition of a run- 

 ning stream, shallow ponds can be constructed and made 

 suitable for bog and aquatic plants and yet present a 

 natural appearance. N'othing affords greater scope for 

 the exercise of taste and ingenuity than the designing 

 and planting of a rockery. Though large rocks present 

 a massive appearance small ones are preferable, as they 

 can be handled with ease and can be taken up and 

 replaced at will. As each individual pocket is made the 

 soil in the pocket must be level, not sloping as is some- 

 times the case, so that each pocket will retain all the 

 moisture that comes to it. 



SOIL AND PLANTING 



Alpines and rock plants are so varied in regard to soil 

 that ordinary garden soil rarely suffices. A suitable 

 mixture must be provided for them such as fibrous loam, 

 peat, leaf soil and mortar rubbish; this will be found 

 to suit most of the alpine plants. 



When planting a rockery grouping will give much 

 better effect than planting single plants at intervals 

 and slow-growing plants must not on any account be 

 planted with the more rapid-growing varieties or the 

 result would be over-crowding. Often the most valuable 

 alpines are destroyed in this way. When immediate 

 effect is wanted the best metliod is to secure good sized 

 plants from a reliable nurseryman, though the most 

 interesting part of this ptirsuit is the raising of a col- 

 lection from seed. Some of the species germinate 

 quickly; others may be from six to twelve months, con- 

 sequently there ought to be no hasty decision in turning 

 out the pots in which the seed have been sown. A few 

 agaves and cut-leaf maples plunged in the rockery in 

 the summer months will add greatly to its beauty. 



Collections suitable for various positions are so 

 numerous that the writer will only give a few of the 

 rare and choice ones. Conodron ramondioides is of 

 recent introduction and is one of the best; the flowers 

 are violet blue and the foliage much like streptocarpus. 

 Ramondia pyrenaica, E. p. alba, R. p. serbica, R. p. 

 nathalis are much prized among alpine lovers; they can 

 be raised from seed and prefer partial shade. The best 

 saxifrages for the rockery are "Fergusoni, lutea viridis, 

 aretioides, diapensoides, calyciflora and Ferdinandi 

 Coburgi; they all flower in early spring and prefer a 

 sunny position and ought to have a place in every 

 rockery. 



Dianthus Warely is a charming rock plant raised in 

 England by Miss Wilmot two years ago. The most suit- 

 able campanulas for the rockery are C. alpina, C. G. F. 



Wilson, C. Raineri, C. AUvini. Seed can easily be pro- 

 cured but seldom true to name, therefore the method 

 is to secure plants from a reliable firm. Myosotis rupi- 

 cola, Petrocallis pyrenaica and the liardy Calceolaria 

 platygenia, are all rare and interesting rock plants. 

 Phlox amoena, P. Nelsoni and P. G. F. Wilson are 

 probably the best of the dwarf phloxes and when al- 

 lowed to run over the rocks are more effective and more 

 at home than when planted in the herbaceous border. 



In order to keep the rockery supplied duplicates of 

 all the most valuable sorts ought to be potted and 

 plunged in cold frames, so that more attention can be 

 given them in the way of watering and propagating. 

 For planting at the margin of shallow ponds Cypri- 

 pedium spectabilis is probably the best. Orchis spec- 

 tabilis, Caltha palustri.'? and many others help to make 

 the hardy plant garden more attractive and interesting. 

 Nymphsea pygma?a. N. P. Helveola are the most suitable 

 water lilies for shallow ponds and convey an impression 

 not imparted by any other class of plants. 



Guu^^Cxyi. A^-tA-!XJLc>5 



About Pentstemons 



Seems to me that one of the most beautiful of all 

 summer flowering plants is either not known, neglected 

 or forgotten. I mean the Pentstemon gentianoides and 

 its varieties. It does not cost as much to raise a pents- 

 temon as it does to raise a geranium. It probably is 

 not as glaringlv effective as S. A. Xutt 2eranium, which 

 is 0. K. 



The best kinds of Lemoine's latest pentstemons are to 

 me as beautiful as gloxinias, embracing as many colors 

 and without the fragility of the gloxinia. A good 

 common name for these summer beauties would be 

 shrubby gloxinias. It matters not where they are 

 planted, whether in a lied by themselves or in a mixed 

 liorder, they are equally effective and taking. As a cut 

 flower for inside decoration at this season of the year 

 the i^entstcmon has no equal. 



*~\^^x. /A^TT^Uj 



