ALPINE FLOWERS [PARTI. 



POSITION FOR THE ROCK-GARDEN. 



The position selected for the rock-garden should not, as a 

 rule, be near walls, or very near a house; never, if possible, 

 within view of formal surroundings of any kind ; and generally 

 be in an open situation; and no effort should be spared to 

 make all the surroundings as graceful, quiet, and natural as 

 they can be made. The part of the gardens around the rock- 

 garden should be picturesque, and, in any case, display a 

 careless grace, resulting from the naturalisation of beautiful, 

 hardy herbaceous plants, and the absence of too formal walks 

 and beds. The roots of forest trees would be almost sure to 

 find their way into the masses of good soil provided for the 

 choicer alpine plants, and thoroughly exhaust them. Besides, 

 as alpine flowers are usually found on treeless and even bush- 

 less wastes, it is certainly wrong to place them under trees or 

 in shaded positions, as has generally hitherto been their fate. 

 It need hardly be added that it is an unwise practice to plant 

 pines on rockwork, as has been lately done in Hyde Park and 

 many other places. It will, however, generally be in good 

 taste to have some graceful young pines planted near, as this 

 type of vegetation is usually to be seen on mountains, apart 

 altogether from their great beauty and the aid which they so 

 well afford in making the surroundings of the rock-garden what 

 they ought to be. In small places, and in those where, from 

 unavoidable circumstances, the rock-garden is made near a 

 group of trees, the roots of which might rob it, it would be 

 found a good plan to cut them off by a narrow drain, descend- 

 ing as deep as, or somewhat deeper than, the roots of the trees ; 

 this should be filled with rough concrete, and it will form an 

 effectual barrier. 



MATERIALS. 



As regards the kinds of stone to be used, if one could 

 choose, sandstone or millstone grit would perhaps be the best ; 



