78 THE STORY OF MY ROCK GARDEN 



formed by two adjacent stones, placing the rosette in 

 such a way that it protruded through what would 

 otherwise have been a small opening, and with its neck 

 close to the stone. Then by carefully selecting another 

 piece of rock with which to start the next irregular 

 course, and so placing it as to permit of it just bridging 

 the small opening where the plant was lying, it was 

 quite simple to construct the small crevice-like 

 aperture about the plant, instead of inserting it into the 

 already formed opening, as suggested in the case of 

 seedling Armerias, and other deep rooting plants. 

 By this means I was able to decorate what appeared 

 to be a miniature cliff, with the beautiful silvery stars 

 of this admitted Queen of the Saxifrages, the roots of 

 which would run in a semi-horizontal direction into 

 the limy soil behind, while owing to the upright position 

 of the rosettes, no water would collect, or remain in 

 their crowns. 



Where it was impossible to find pieces of stone of 

 such a shape as to exactly fit like an arch over the neck 

 of the plant by far the most desirable way I made up 

 some clay and moss into a kind of mortar, and by 

 filling up any little spaces with this, rendered the 

 crevices soil tight. 



The object of mixing moss with the clay is to prevent 

 it gradually creeping downwards when in a moist state 

 from rain. This mortar is most useful for such purposes 



