131 



moderation in this respect if he will make a point of paying a 



preliminary visit to an existing rock garden, made by an expert, 



if he is fortunate enough to know of one, either public or private, 



within reasonable distance, to which he can get access. He will 



probably find that the number of stones used is quite small, that 



on the whole they are fairly large and flat, that they are fixed in 



position very firmly, and that they are disposed in such a way as 



to form roomy pockets or beds. He will probably see that where 



the stones are laid flat the inner portion of the stone is a little 



lower than the outer part ; in other 



words, that they have a downward slope 



towards the soil. The object of this is 



to carry rain inwards to the plants, 



instead of outwards away from them. 



Where stones are placed on end so as 



to form pockets they will probably be 



tilted inward at the top, so that the 



pocket is widest at the bottom. This 



again favours the reception and retention ROCKERY PLANTED 



by the soil of moisture, which, on ele- A > nlin j ature , ro f er 7 ; . B * ^^ and f 



J trailing plants growing in hollow of 



vated mounds, always tends to drain away Iar e e r ? c j c ; D ' soil in which rock is 



J J embedded. 



from the plants and leave the soil too dry. 



A person who has sloping ground in his garden, or anything 

 in the way of a ravine, small or large, can take advantage of it 

 for his rockery. If he has to work on a perfectly flat site he will 

 have to form a mound, small or large, regular or irregular in 

 shape, according to his means and tastes. A rocky ridge may 

 be constructed that winds in gentle undulations, advancing here, 

 receding there, so as to form little promontories and bays ; or 

 there may be parallel ridges, with a central path winding through 

 them. Experienced rockery-builders are very skilful in forming 

 such gardens, and turn a bare flat into an Alpine region in 

 miniature with great cunning. Beginners will perhaps act wisely 



