244 



Gardens for Small Country Houses. 



FIG. 365. ALPINE PRIMULAS GROWING IN HORIZONTAL FISSURE. 



Alpines, almost without ex- 

 ception, revel in a deep, rich, 

 cool soil. No trouble should 

 be spared to ensure thorough 

 preparation. The great enemies 

 of the dainty mountain plants 

 are damp and drought. A deep, 

 well-worked, porous soil will do 

 more towards preventing 

 fatalities than any amount of 

 artificial drainage and superficial 

 watering. Practically the whole 

 of the alpine flora has an intense 

 dislike of a stiff or retentive 

 soil. All soil used for planting 

 should contain a goodly admix- 

 ture of sharp sand or grit. For 

 the lime - lovers, such as the 

 encrusted saxifrages, lime, if 

 possible in the form of old 

 mortar rubble, should be in- 

 corporated in the compost. All 

 alpines dislike wet about the 

 collar. A top-dressing one inch 

 in thickness of small granite 

 chips will do much to save 

 them from this danger, and will 



FIG. 366. A ROUGH RETAINING WALL. 



