PLANTING THE ROCK GARDEN 197 



I find it difficult to assimilate a pigmy Scotch 

 fir of say 8 or 10 inches high with a 4 feet 

 specimen bush of Cistus ladaniferus or 

 Olearia Hastily though it is undeniable that 

 such shrubs are a necessary and attractive 

 adjunct to the rock garden. The only way 

 I can find out of the difficulty of combining 

 dwarf shrubs and trees with those of larger 

 growth, is by planting the latter so far away 

 from the pigmy specimens that they form 

 merely a background. 



As it is imperative that this background 

 should be permanent, evergreen shrubs 

 should chiefly be used. But do not for a 

 moment think it is desirable to ignore the 

 deciduous section, containing, as it does, 

 many of the most beautiful of flowering 

 shrubs. These should be so placed that the 

 full value of their beauty when in flower is 

 obtained, while not at other times afi^ecting 

 the permanent scheme. 



This may appear to be somewhat contra- 

 dictory advice, but by judiciously mixing the 

 evergreen with the deciduous, such an eff^ect 

 can be achieved. The advice as regards the 



