82 ROCK GARDENS 



the banks ; but anything the least formal must, 

 of course, be most carefully avoided. 



In order to prevent formality the line of 

 rocks should be varied as much as possible. 

 In some places, especially where the construc- 

 tion of the rockwork is abrupt, they may be 

 as much as a couple of feet high, while in other 

 places they need not be more than a couple of 

 inches above the level of the path. 



Steps are often a necessary adjunct, and, if 

 well made, will prove a very attractive feature. 

 Here again there must be no formality, nothing 

 built up with cement. Large flat stones, the 

 more varied in size and shape the better, may 

 be just laid on the ground, after it has been 

 made level and solid, to form the steps. The 

 commoner Sedums, Saxifrages, Campanulas, 

 and other dwarf-growing species should be 

 planted between each of the steps, so that in a 

 short time but little of them is visible. 



In conclusion, when building the rockwork, 

 make quite certain that the soil is well packed 

 in behind and between each rock, and that there 

 is not the least chance of an air space being 

 left. Myriads of plants have been lost through 



