lUlSll GARDENING 



Evenin- Primroso. A^tf, Thomsoni. Cinivlruhis 

 inioiuiii unci ''. iitinnifaiiK iin, Ariu'riiis I lum- 

 hu>i„ J.aiiniii:i . v»'llow ami orange Koik Wall- 

 flowers. Hoses, many Diaiillmr. notalily a spl.-ndid 

 pateh of P. Sox, liant:ing over a roc-k. inakinji 

 an attractive toueli of eoloiir. Lithosjuiuiuin 

 in<>.,tnituin and tlie sliriil.l>y variety Litln>si»,- 

 iiitiiii /<'.«/(((/; i>u7o/("/ii (wliirli liere l)looms In.ni l.-t 

 Oi'toL.'r to 1st May), massi-.s of beaiitiful hlue 

 flowers for si-vi-n months inntinuously. r<,frntillii 

 fnitirnsii and Vnlxiui rrnnaa (purple), and 

 r. I l,inn:iilii/fi'tiii (Si-arltt ireei>er). Cist us Siniset. 

 (lazanias (»>ran'j.' and while). Mrsniihii/niithr. 

 iiniin rihilf and others. Sednms, some Prinudas. 

 odd I'Mii-hsias. Zmisi h nr, in ciili/onii-n si)lni(lnis, 

 Vi„la rornuia (dark and light l.liu-). the 

 antumn-fiowerini; Crocus showin;j in odd corners 

 al»out the paths. Veronica Aiilnnni (ilory. T . 

 (.'nnntlrtti, and others in -.'ood hloom, the collection 

 of different Veronicas in San Elmo is wonderful. 

 many lovely colours. i)lants jirowing in luifie 

 masses all over the place. 



Ciniiiii'm iiKiritiiiiii. seeding itself every here 

 and there, in crevices in the rook garden, on llu^ 

 walls and paths, etc its lovely silver foliage 

 ratehes the eve. The i^arent plants grow in large 

 patches on tlie rocks close 1o the sea one hundred 

 feet helow. 



The herries and foliage (just turning red) of 

 Cntunrasiei ]i<>ii-(>nfiiHs. and the herries of C 

 S'liVDiisii. are very jileasing to the eye. 



Alp'nie (iininila's were this season rarely out of 

 hloom. Sdx. tnaiinxra grows strongly at the foot of 

 a large rock and flowers well, the foliage of some 

 of the varieties turning a beautiful copper hron/.e 

 in autinun. CJood i)atches of irtossy Saxifrag»'s 

 and the silver varieties promise plenty of flov\-er 

 next season. Creeping Phloxes, many colours. 

 Trises. Yueca.s. N.Z. Flax. Bandwos. Tritonias, 

 Berhoris. Pijius iapniiirii. Cytisus. T.upliuis and 

 the following annuals (just sown the first year to 

 give colour to hare patches of rock^. AJoiisoa 

 Warxnirirzii rninpnrtn (brilliant scarlet). 



Liiiniid letlrulatd mnra (purple and gold). 

 PlKiiPlin (inn pan uJ (It id (blue), together with 

 clumps of Shirley and .Mnine popi)ies. help to 

 brighten up the various corners and tops of rocks. 



Amongst the dwarf Conifers one notes .IMr.s 

 Knsteri rrpriis (a creeping fir), Cupri'.ssua Lairso- 

 vidna fdtiidiiscifolia. -hniipcnis hilievnicd (tall 

 pillar-like growth). Ihfinnspera ohtiisd ndnn and 

 siiiidirosd siiliilnired. Jutiipema pio.shdfd. Ahics 

 r.rr('ho Md.nrrUi. all evidently qiute at home. 

 giving some idea of the sueeess attending the 

 planting of this rock garden in this very mild 

 climate, exactlv one vear atro. 



R. C. M'M. S. 



Rock Gardens and Rock Plants. 



Desitti: the many trials wliich beset us in these 

 troubled times there seems no (liniiiintioM in the 

 love of gardening, and more than ever rock gar- 

 dens, large and small, are springijig into being 

 everywhere. 



This fascinating and. we may say. educative 

 hobby has seized upon rich and poor alike, and 

 the cottage vies with the mansion in having the 

 finest collection or the best grown specimens. No 

 kind of gardening calls for more thought or in- 

 genuity in providing the right conditions for the 

 innumerable subjects which can be grown with 

 the necessary care; and each one can choose his 

 own plants and can use them for his own special 

 purpose. Some prefer broad effects with 

 brilliantly coloured, easily grown plants, such as 



white, irim.>ion, pink, mossy Saxifragas; purple 

 and mauve Aid>rielias; white anil i)ink Arahis; 

 yellow Alyssnm, and so creating drifts of colour 

 wunderfid for a time. Others pn-fer a collection 

 endtracing evcrythuig that is ihoice. rare, and 

 oftimes dillicnlt tn grow, anil from one year's end to 

 the other are plannnig and contriving to find room 

 for more, and seiUing ever and anon for new sites 

 in which to try sdine miffy suhjcct. be it I'limutd 

 h'liilii. Hiitiiihiiiiii iidiniiit, or perchance some 

 longed-for Gentian; and therein lies half the 

 charm of gardening— the striving after victory. 



The right way In build a rock garden will ever 

 remain a mattei (I o])inion and taste. The i)lau 

 which appeals to one nuiy seem ridiculous to 

 another. Some avow that the fewer rocks used 

 the better, others i)refer rocks in plenty and of 

 .•^ome size to enable them when building to contrive 

 these nooks and crannies, cracks and crevices in 

 which so many treasures, hating a moist surface, 

 nourish and \vax beautiful. 



Beyond doubt many alpines may be grown well 

 without large rocks; sharjjly sloping banks of 

 gritty soil, well siufaeed with fair-sized chips to 

 prevent washing, are suitable for many things, 

 while the still more gritty moraine has })roved u 

 success in many cases, where, previously, rare 

 I)lants have failed to establish. 



Neverthi'less rocks \\;gll placed are inidoubtedly 

 effective in appearance and give a variety of as- 

 pects not otherwise o.btainable. ])laced. too. as they 

 inevitably are. at various angles, they give shelter 

 and shade to many plants that want it. 



When building up the rockwork it is better not 

 to have too much soil in the way at first, as it 

 interferes with the ])roper placing of the stones; 

 sufficient gritty soil whereon to properly bed each 

 stone is all that is necessary; then as each layer 

 is satisfactorily placed it can be filled up behind 

 to the level of the top of the stones with a further 

 supply of gritty soil, leaving the top and the bold 

 front of each stone exposed while the base and 

 the back are well and firmly bedded. Tn this way 

 the work may be proceeded with until the desired 

 hi'ight ip .reached . leaving -irregular bays and 

 pockets here and there to be planted with subjects 

 which flourish on flat or slightly sloping groimd. 

 reserving the cracks and fissures between ad- 

 joining stones for plants requiring vertical 

 ])ositions. 



Mucli i)leastn-e can be derived where large stones 

 are scarce in contriving to make a number of small 

 flat stones look like one lar<:e boulder fidl of 

 fissures. This can be done by throwing up a 

 small mound of soil, well bedding the stones into 

 it with the flat sides outwards, finishing off with 

 a flat one on top; when the fissures between the 

 various stones are planted such an arrangement 

 has quite a natural effect and urows manv good 

 platits well. 



At the base of the rockwork irregular bavs may 

 be left if necessarv. and these, when the .buildinc 

 is finished, mav be dug out to a depth of 12 to b5 

 inches and filled with a mixture of peat, loam 

 and rotten manme for plants requiring more than 

 ordinary moist conditions. 



The number of rock plants in cultivation now 

 is enormous and is constantly being added to. 

 Afany new ones have been made availalile of 

 recent years, some easy to do, some difTicull so far; 

 but the same is true of many tliat have been 

 known for years. Tn the next issue we shall discuss 

 some of the plants for tlie rock garden, cheifly 

 the choicer kinds. B. 



