CHAPTER XX 

 ENGLISH EFFECTS WITH ALPINE FLOWERS 



Rock gardening a universal passion in England and may become so 

 here Most of the showiest flowers easy to grow even with no 

 rocks 



RDCK gardening is a universal passion in England, and no 

 wonder, for the alpine flowers are the real "gems" of the 

 floral world. They are as small as jewels and have the 

 same purity of colour, and in spite of their diminutive size they are 

 showy, because they have a genius for spreading so as to form great 

 sheets of bloom. 



For thirteen years I had been dreaming of English rock 

 gardens and reading articles about them in English papers, yet I 

 was totally unprepared for the immense number of them and the 

 radiant visions of beauty which they present. I had seen nearly all 

 the important rock gardens in America, and knew there were only 

 two notable ones outside of botanical gardens. So I supposed that 

 rock gardening was merely a hobby for a few skilled amateurs and 

 collectors. On the contrary, it seemed as if every one had a rock 

 garden, and the mass effects, while they last, are brilliant beyond 

 anything we know or can imagine. 



At first I touched the stars, as every one does who sees a col- 

 lection of alpines for the first time. The ground is carpeted with 

 jewels, such as Ali Baba never saw. Speech seems a poor thing. 

 You are far above mere names of plants and botany. You wander 

 about, half seeing new forms and drinking great draughts of 



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