68 ROCK GARDENING FOR AMATEURS 



on the flat as on the slope is to provide deeper 

 drainage. 



How it is Made. The first thing is to excavate the 

 site to a depth of two feet. At the bottom of this put 

 from six to nine inches of rough drainage, composed of 

 stones or broken brick, arranging for an outlet through 

 which surplus water may pass away. This may be a 

 trench filled with rough stones or other similar material 

 More often than not there is a little bog border in asso- 

 ciation with the rock garden, and it is advisable that 

 the surplus water from the moraine be directed there. 

 The drain is not necessary in a sandy soil. On top of 

 the rough drainage comes the moraine mixture proper. 

 Everyone seems to have his own special method of 

 preparing the compost, and no two persons mix soil and 

 compost in equal proportions. Perfect drainage, allowing 

 for the elimination of stagnant water, is the whole secret 

 of moraine making, and above all things should be en- 

 sured. For this reason it is, I think, advisable to place 

 rather smaller stones directly on the broken bricks and 

 large stones used for drainage, forming a layer some 

 six inches in depth, the stones of the upper three inches 

 being smaller than those of the lower three. In 

 fact, throughout the building of the artificial moraine 

 it is best to use stones of gradually decreasing size, until 

 at the top one employs only those passed through a fine 

 me sh say, quarter-inch sieve. Those forming the bulk 

 of the upper twelve inches should be of such a size that 

 they will pass through a half-inch sieve. Good drainage 



