CHAPTER XII 



FORMING A ROCKERY 



What a Rockery is. 



JUDGING by what people say, and more especially by what 

 they do, it is very evident that a great misapprehension 

 exists as to what a rockery should be. Many think it 

 merely a mass of stones with soil thrown between, whilst 

 others think it a mass of soil topped by large stones. 

 Neither of these views is correct, but it often happens that 

 they are acted upon, and wonder is expressed that the plants 

 do not flourish, the end being disgust. A little reading, a 

 little advice sought for in the right direction, would have 

 transformed many a man that is now a scorner of the 

 " purest of human pleasures " into an enthusiastic gardener. 

 We must however bear these losses, and strengthen our 

 forces and extend our empire by propagation of the right 

 kind of knowledge. A rockery, if we may attempt to define 

 it, is put up in imitation of nature, and is intended for the 

 more perfect growth of those plants which in their natural 

 habitat are found to do well among rocks and stones ; and 

 whilst endeavouring to give a pleasing picturesque informal 

 style to the rockery, the needs of the plants must be kept 

 in view and must not be sacrificed on any other considera- 

 tion. Obviously a mere pile of stones, the work of man in 

 mimicry of nature, is little to be admired unless we admit 

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