212 



Gardening for Amateurs 



truly laid. If the edges of some are raised 

 inch or so above, then the path at once 

 becomes inconvenient and even dangerous. 

 One of the best methods of making a paved 

 way when the stone is small is to form an 

 edge on each side with bricks and fill the 

 space between with stone laid in mortar. 

 Here and there the joints may be filled with 

 soil only for the accommodation of small 

 plants. A walk of this kind, some 3 or 4 

 feet wide, is not at all expensive to put 

 down, and if suitably planted soon becomes 

 a very charming garden feature. 



Stepping Stones. When the paved 

 pathway leads through a small rock garden 

 or bog garden, or among groups of hardy 

 border flowers, it is most conveniently made 

 in the form of stepping stones arranged at 

 intervals of about 12 inches, so that progress 

 may be easy. There are many low-growing 

 plants suitable for placing in the soil space. 

 Each stone ought to be quite firm, for in 

 walking nothing is more tantalising than an 

 insecure foothold. For this reason it is 

 advisable to bed them in a 1-inch thick 

 layer of mortar. Large and somewhat ir- 

 regularly shaped stones, at least 12 inches 

 square, are preferable, though smaller pieces 

 may be employed by placing them quite 

 close together and filling the joints with 

 mortar. 



Flowers for Paved Pathways. The 

 opportunities offered by the paved paths 

 for the close association of flower and stone 

 form one of the chief pleasures of this form 

 of gardening. However, one must not for- 

 get that the primary object of a path is to 

 give access to the garden, hence only creep- 

 ing plants, and preferably those that may 

 be trodden upon without being damaged, 

 should be used. Plants of bushy or erect 

 habit may be admissible near the margins 

 of the path, but they ought not to be so 

 placed that they will come into contact with 

 the clothes of the passer-by. Especially in 

 wet weather would this prove unpleasant. 

 The paved path is most easily planted while 

 the work of laying the stones is in progress. 

 It is then possible to attend to the needs of 

 the plants by spreading the roots, etc., 

 much better than when there remain only 

 the cracks for their reception. In furnish- 

 ing a finished path it is generally advisable 



to make use of seeds and quite young plants. 

 Rooted cuttings and seedlings are, in fact, 

 always to be preferred ; these usually have 

 abundant fibrous roots and develop into 

 big masses the first season if planted in 

 spring. They need little attention beyond 

 that necessary for the removal of weeds 

 and spent blossoms. Rooted cuttings are 

 especially valuable when narrow joints have 

 to be filled ; it is scarcely possible, in such 

 cases, to introduce large plants without 

 damaging them considerably. Plants grown 

 in pots may be put out at any season, for 

 there is little root disturbance, yet late 

 March and September are the best times 

 of all for planting. 



Plants that May be Trodden Upon. 

 The following are all low-growing or 

 creeping plants, of which the foliage is ever- 

 green or evergrey (if one may coin a word). 

 They suffer no harm if, when Avalking along 

 the path, one treads on them. They will be 

 found described in the notes on Rock and 

 Alpine Flowers in a later chapter : Achillea 

 umbellata (grey leaves, small white, Daisy- 

 flowers) ; Acaena microphylla and A. Buch- 

 anani (creeping plants with small, elegant 

 fern-like foliage ; will grow even in a gravel 

 path, and bear treading upon with great im- 

 punity) ; Arenaria balearica (clings to stones 

 and rocks, forming a close green carpet, tiny 

 white flowers), A. caespitosa (dense dwarf 

 foliage, white flowers) ; Alyssum montanum 

 (small grey-green tufts, yellow fragrant 

 flowers) ; Dianthus arenarius (white), D. 

 graniticus (pink), D. deltoides (pink) all 

 Alpine Pinks ; Dryas octopetala (creeping 

 stems, white flowers) ; Gypsophila prostrata 

 (grey leaves, pink flowers) ; Muehlenbeckia 

 nana (beautiful little dark green leaves) ; 

 Mentha Requieni (a dwarf Mint, fragrant 

 foliage) ; Saxifraga muscoides (Mossy Saxi- 

 frage, spreading tufts of green, pinkish 

 flowers) ; Thymus Serpyllum albus, T. 

 lanuginosus, T. villosus, T. Chamaedrys, 

 T. montanus, different sorts of Thyme (fra- 

 grant foliage) ; Veronica prostrata and V. 

 repens (beautiful blue-flowered Speedwells). 

 Other suitable low-growing plants are : Cam- 

 panula pusilla, C. pulloides, C. pulla, C. G. F. 

 Wilson (beautiful small Bellflowers) ; Draba 

 aizoides and bruniaefolia (evergreen tufts 

 and yellow flowers) ; Erinus alpinus (pretty 



