GARDEN HELPS 



Conducted by Minnesota Garden Flower Society 



Edited by Mrs. E. W. Gould, 2644 Humboldt Avenue So. 

 Minneapolis. 



ROCK GARDENS. 



England probably has the most wonderful rock gardens, for the people 

 have utilized their naturally stony ground to the fullest extent and have 

 some gorgeous effects as a result. Our own New England, with its boulders 

 and rocks of all kinds, has for years been trying, at great expense, to blast 

 and break and dig them out and to make in their place formal lawns, when 

 the natural beauty of the surroundings could so easily have been main- 

 tained by the informal planting of their rocky ground. They too have found 

 this out and are producing some beautiful rock gardens. Most of us have 

 some spot that simply will not conform to our idea of beauty, and perhaps 

 a rock garden there might solve the vexing problem. 



Of course the most desirable rock gardens are the natural ones. I have 

 in mind two spots in neighboring places where I long to make such a garden. 

 One is a little cove with huge rocks deeply imbedded in a tiny spring, with 

 a group of three immense trees at the head, a most ideal place for a rock 

 garden. The other is a fascinating little stream flowing in a winding man- 

 ner through a broad expanse of meadow land. An uneven rocky border 

 would wonderfully transform the spot. 



Beautiful artificial rock gardens can be made with very little trouble 

 or expense by selecting rough field stones, the flatter the better, and sinking 

 one-third of the rock in the ground to insure a firm foundation. The spot 

 should be slightly sloping, not too shady and without hollows, as Alpines 

 cannot stand stagnant moisture. Leave the cracks and crevices for the 

 Alpines to grow deep in and for the moss to creep in. 



Do not let your garden begin nor end too abruptly; lead up gradually 

 to it by the use of odd shaped rocks, as an approach to the garden proper. 

 The simplest rule is to follow nature as much as possible. 



There are many styles of rock gardens to follow, but the conditions on 

 your place must guide your selection. A pleasing form is the wall garden, 

 used wherever a bank or retaining- wall is needed. No mortar is used as 

 that hinders the very effect desired, that of the flowers growing in and out 

 of the fissures and cracks. In laying each stone keep a backward, downward 

 slope for drainage. A hollow tile may be inserted to form a little waterfall. 



Another style of rock garden is the border garden. This is the fore- 

 ground for a formal or informal border and should be one-sixth the width 

 of the border itself. Thus if you have a twelve-foot border planned, use 

 two feet of it for a rock border. Lay the stones very irregularly and plant 

 with flowers of varying heights, to keep the irregularity. A charming 

 effect can be made where one has a terrace, by making uneven steps, wide 

 enough for use as such, and planted with low growing Alpines, vines 

 and moss. 



Rock gardens may also surround water gardens and bog gardens, by the 

 use of flat rocks as an irregular outline, rather than the straight cement 

 edges more often used. 



Pathways may be made into rock gardens by using broken pieces of 

 cement sidewalks or very flat rocks sunk in the ground in a very hit or 

 miss pattern and planted with low growing Alpines. 



There are two kinds of rock garden plants, Alpines and rock plants. 

 Alpines, as the name implies, grow in the Alps, while rock plants include 

 Alpines and also plants from all parts of the temperate zones which are 

 suitable for rock gardens. The literature on this subject groups all rock 

 loving plants as Alpines, since many of the real Alpines grow in our own 

 woods and on the mountains of our own country. 



Perennials and self-sowing annuals are used in planting rock gardens. 

 Avoid anything that gives the effect of excessive work or expense. 



Small evergreen trees, shrubs and vines, as well as moss, give the effect 

 of age, which is so desirable in rock gardens. Pitch pine trees, daphne 



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