48 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS 



though, unlike the others, it is deciduous. A white- 

 flowered kind, D. Blagayana, is also worthy of notice. 



Near the entrance to the rock garden, crowning a low 

 bastion, a plant of Veronica Traversi looks particularly 

 well. It is the only Speedwell of its kind sufficiently 

 hardy for outdoor planting. The flowers are pale 

 mauve, but the value of the shrub lies mainly in its 

 distinct form, which enables due emphasis to be given 

 to certain features. 



Alpine Rhododendrons possess great depth and 

 richness of leafage colour. Belonging to the mountain 

 ranges of Europe, they are perfectly hardy and well 

 fitted for association with Alpines and rock plants. R. 

 Chamaecistus, an exquisite little shrub, only a few 

 inches high, may be grown in the highest situations in 

 sandy loam with a slight admixture of peat. It is 

 always found naturally on the limestone formation, and 

 is impatient of granite soils. Other dwarf kinds are 

 R. myrtifolium, hybridum, and odoratum, the latter 

 a scented variety. The scarlet-flowered Swiss 

 Rhododendrons (R. ferrugineum and R. hirsutum) 

 known also as Alpine Roses, are of larger growth, and 

 do best in peaty soil in the lower parts of the rock 

 garden. All the dwarf Rhododendrons except 

 Chamaecistus form suitable backing plants for bright 

 patches of herbaceous flowers. 



Included among these dwarf evergreens is the 

 Partridge Berry (Gaultheria procumbens), with drooping 

 white flowers and winter berries. It succeeds in sandy 

 soil in partial shade, and is easily increased by division. 

 The other Gaultherias are too large for any but rock 

 gardens of considerable extent. 



Above the groups of small plants and the hard edge of 

 the topmost rocks, there may be planted those hardy 

 flowering shrubs which rejoice in the sunniest and most 

 exposed positions. An u nbroken line of upstanding foliage 



