THE ROCK GARDEN. 



^TT^O those who have the requisite 

 location, there are few more 

 interesting features of out-door 

 gardening than that styled the 

 Rock Garden. I saw two of the best 

 examples of artificial construction last 

 summer that perhaps are to be seen, and 

 it seemed to me that we might do more 

 of it here. We are limited to a com- 

 paratively few plants in our climate ; the 

 exquisite Saxifrages of the European 

 Alps, the Primulas, Androsaces, Ramon- 

 diaSj Cyclamens, and many of the plants 

 they use abroad will not succeed here, 

 and for that matter some of our choicest 

 Rocky Mountain Alpines absolutely 

 refuse to grow when brought from their 

 high estate, but there are many that 

 will succeed if given a little attention. 

 A well constructed garden of this sort 

 has a most charming effect when the 

 moss pinks, columbines, and various 

 spring-flowering bulbs are in bloom. It 

 is at all times advisable to see that the 

 strong do not crowd out the weak, and 

 in this kind of planting it is not possible 

 to use the hoe, and seedlings are sure to 

 appear in abundance, often to the exclu- 

 sion of the choicest plants. This is 

 true also of borders, and we find that in 

 a short time the best larkspurs and 

 phloxes seem to revert to original types, 

 and columbines hybridize out of recog- 



nition ; but it is all explained by the 

 fact that seedlings are too numerous, 

 and, until they bloom, have much the 

 same appearance. I am inclined to 

 think the Aquilegias are not strictly 

 perennial ; they flower for a year or two, 

 and then disappear. I think this is 

 true also to some extent with all plants 

 that have not a tuberous or bulbous 

 root. We all know how difficult it is to 

 keep the true Rocky Mountain Colum- 

 bine, or the Siberian Aquikgia glandu- 

 losa ; this all means that we must have 

 a reserve border, where a few plants can 

 be isolated for seed, and the seedlings 

 drawn on to fill up losses, or we can test 

 some doubtful plant and propagate de- 

 sirable ones There are many reasons 

 which make a place of this description 

 desirable that will occur to all. 



Most hardy plants are easily raised 

 from seed, and a seedling plant that is 

 healthy, even though it has never 

 bloomed, is preferable in the long run 

 to any other ; there is no serious check 

 in transplanting, neither has it been 

 weakened by flowering. The best time 

 to sow seed would be as soon as gath- 

 ered ; but we usually have too much 

 hot weather at that time, and it is best 

 to wait until a cooler time in fall. — Mr. 

 Orpet before Mass. Hort'l Society. 



Fig. 1389- 



A Hydrangea in BIoom. — 

 I am sending you a photo- 

 graph of a hydrangea which I 

 have in bloom. It will show 

 you the success of an amateur 

 florist, and you may think it 

 worthy of a place in your valu- 

 able magazine. — A Subscriber 

 at Fergus. 



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