PLANTING AND GENERAL HINTS 29 



to form a really satisfactory little group, one of an 

 Aubrietia would soon develop into a wide patch quite 

 big enough for the small rockery. 



This introduces the question of whether the free or 

 the slower growing alpines should be chiefly planted 

 at first. The advice frequently given to purchase free- 

 growing plants, which can be discarded when the others 

 have reached a fair size, has something to commend it, 

 for the rockery has a " furnished appearance " frorn 

 the start, whereas it would take several years to obtain 

 the same result with the smaller and choicer plants. 

 Yet there should certainly be a large proportion of choice 

 kinds in the initial selection, for the vigorous ones cover 

 a lot of ground the first season, and are liable soon to 

 become rather a nuisance in the small rock garden if 

 too many are planted. A smaller number of really 

 good plants will eventually give greater pleasure. 



The Actual Planting. The actual placing of the 

 plants is a question that cannot be too well considered, 

 for as a rule transplanting is a bad practice with rock- 

 garden flowers. They must remain undisturbed if they 

 are to be a success. The beginner is apt to be misled 

 by some of the rock gardens arranged at the large flower 

 shows. These are exhibited, as a rule, merely to make 

 an imposing display, and in many cases the plants are 

 set in positions in which they would never grow per- 

 manently. It is folly to expect a moisture-loving 

 Primula such as Primula rosea, for instance to thrive 

 on high rockwork in a position in which Primula marginata 



