ALPINE FLOWERS AND ROCK-GARDENS. 143 



that the Gentians and such plants prefer it, but also because the 

 great elevation is unsuitable to coarser vegetation, and the alpine 

 plants have it all to themselves. Take a patch of Silene acaulis, 

 by which the summits of some of our highest mountains are sheeted 

 over, and plant it 2,000 feet lower down in suitable soil, keeping 

 it moist and free from weeds, and it will grow well ; but leave it to 

 Nature, and the strong herbs will soon cover it, excluding the light 

 and killing it. 



Although hundreds of kinds of alpine flowers may be grown with- 

 out a particle of rock near them, yet the slight elevation given by 

 rocky banks is congenial to some of the rarest kinds. The effect of a 

 well-made rock-garden is pretty in garden scenery. It furnishes a 

 home for many native and other plants which may not safely be put 

 in among tall flowers in borders ; and it is important that the most 

 essential principles to be borne in mind when making it should be 

 stated. The usual mistake is that of not providing a feeding-place 

 for the roots of the plants. On ordinary rockwork even the coarsest 

 British weeds cannot find a resting-place, because there is no body of 

 soil for the roots to find nourishment sufficient to keep the plant fresh 

 in all weathers. 



Position for the Rock-garden. — The rock-garden should 

 never be near walls ; never very near a house ; never, if possible, 

 within view of formal surroundings of any kind, and it should be in an 

 open situation. No efforts should be spared to make all the surround- 

 ings, and every point visible from the rock-garden, graceful and 

 natural as they can be made. The part of the gardens around the 

 rock-garden should be picturesque, if possible, and, in any case, be 

 a quiet airy spot with as few jarring points as may be. No tree 

 should be in the rock-garden ; hence a site should not be selected 

 where it would be necessary to remove favourite trees. The roots of 

 trees would find their way into the masses of good soil for the 

 alpine flowers, and soon exhaust them. Besides, as these flowers 

 are usually found on treeless wastes, it is best not to place them 

 in shaded places. 



As regards the stone to be used, sandstone or millstone grit 

 would perhaps be the best ; but it is seldom that a choice can be 

 made, and almost any kind of stone will do, from Kentish rag to 

 limestone: soft and slaty kinds and others liable to crumble away 

 should be avoided, as also should magnesian limestone. The stone of 

 the neighbourhood should be adopted, for economy's sake, if for no 

 other reason. Wherever the natural rock crops out, it is sheer 

 waste to create artificial rockwork instead of embellishing that which 

 naturally occurs. In many cases nothing would be necessary but to 

 clear the ground, and add here and there a few loads of good soil, 



