70 ROCK GARDENING FOR AMATEURS 



commonly supposed to need lime seem to be quite happy 

 among whinstone chips alone. The limestone chips have an 

 advantage so far as attractive appearance is concerned 

 they are cool looking and of neutral tint, and the alpine 

 flowers look especially well among them. Suitable soils 

 to mix with the chips are sifted loam and leaf-soil in 

 equal quantities. Needless to say, stone chips and soil 

 should be well mixed together before they are placed 

 in the moraine. The small chips on the surface prevent 

 evaporation, and after a spell of dry weather the plants 

 will be found quite moist at the roots. 



One should aim at building a moraine that forms an 

 integral part of the rock garden, and for this reason 

 opportunity should J)e taken to arrange a few small 

 boulders here and there as the building proceeds, the 

 greater part of each being below the surface so that 

 they may outcrop in as natural a manner as possible. 

 If the moraine is left merely as a bed or border of stone 

 chips it can scarcely fail to appear incongruous ; it will 

 almost certainly be conspicuous as an artificial introduc- 

 tion. A pretty little moraine may be made by arranging 

 three or four large boulders on the top of the soil, putting 

 between these a foot or so of drainage, and filling the 

 remaining space with moraine compost of soil and stone 

 chips or gravel. 



Water through the Moraine. There can be no doubt 

 that a supply of water through the moraine is an advantage, 

 especially in a dry district. They are indeed fortunate 

 whose gardens possess a little stream that can be diverted 



