SPECIAL METHODS OF PLANTING 79 



and it has the added quality of " giving " slightly 

 to the growing plant. 



It is advisable to carry up this spur or protruding 

 shoulder at least nine inches above the topmost 

 rosette, otherwise the upper ones may suffer from 

 drought in the Summer. Some of the blood-red 

 rosettes of Sempervivum triste formed a splendid con- 

 trast to the silver of the saxifrages when I planted 

 them on the topmost point of this position. 



The longer crevices or joints between the stone 

 I dealt with by filling in with stone chips, like small 

 wedges, and afterwards giving, where necessary, just 

 a touch of cement to fix them. This emphasized the 

 cliff-like appearance, by suggesting that the whole 

 face was one irregular piece of rock, besides most 

 important of all preventing the soil from constantly 

 weeping out at these places. It must be clearly under- 

 stood that any such leakage of soil not merely dirties 

 the rosettes, but it creates a vacant space behind the 

 stones which is most harmful. The great aim should 

 'be to secure perfect solidity, with no hollow spaces 

 behind the lumps of rock ; every piece should have the 

 earth packed as tightly as possible behind it. 



I referred, in the opening chapter, to a method of 

 toning down the crude whiteness of my concrete 

 blocks which is so staring in the dry weather. I 

 experimented in a number of directions, with but 



