278 ROCKWORK. [CHAP. X. 



Gardener ', " rockwork, to be truly natural, can 

 only show the rock on one side, or at most on 

 two sides; as scars, cliffs, and precipices are 

 seen in rocky districts." This abrupt side or 

 face of the rock should be represented as pro- 

 jecting into ledges or shelves, to imitate the 

 terminations of the different strata; and the 

 flowering plants should be introduced in what 

 may be supposed to be the clefts and fissures 

 of the natural rock. The summit of the rock 

 and the sloping side should be covered with 

 turf, and may be planted with trees, some of 

 which may hang over the rockwork; or the 

 line of junction between the stones and the 

 turf may be concealed by the luxuriance of 

 alpine plants inserted in the fissures, and suf- 

 fered to climb over the top. It must be ob- 

 served, however, that in granite, basalt, or 

 other unstratified rocks, the fissures are gene- 

 rally vertical, and consequently very ill adapted 

 for forming ledges for plants. The best mate- 

 rials for a natural rock-garden in ledges are, 

 therefore, sandstone and limestone, the lines of 

 stratification in which are chiefly horizontal, 

 with occasional dips. 



It will be evident, from what has been said, 

 that to make good rockwork requires the eye 

 of an artist; and it may be added, that rock- 

 work should never be attempted without first 

 making a coloured drawing of it on paper, or a 

 small model with a child's box of bricks, or 

 some similar materials, to try the effect. 



Moss Houses are interesting as garden build- 

 ings, because they afford great scope for the 

 exercise of the fancy ; not only in the design 



