588 



Gardening for Amateurs 



plants enumerated, and will find much 

 difficulty in making up his mind what to 

 buy. A fairly good though not an absolutely 

 reliable way of discovering the plants that 

 are easy and those that are difficult to grow 

 is by observing the prices at which they are 

 offered. An expensive plant is generally 

 difficult to cultivate, for the reason that it is 

 troublesome to propagate and does not grow 

 freely. An exception must, of course, be 

 made with novelties, which are naturally 

 expensive. If a plant has been in cultivation 

 for a number of years and is still costly one 

 may safely consider it to be one of the difficult 

 kinds. An excellent plan for a beginner 

 wishing to buy plants is to purchase one of 

 the collections offered by dealers in alpines at 

 a comparatively low price. 



A good general collection to begin with 

 should contain representatives of the fol- 

 lowing : Campanula, Saxifrage (Mossy and 

 Silvery), Primula, Dianthus, Anemone, Geum, 

 Phlox, Arenaria, Achillea, Androsace, Aethio- 

 nema, Viola, Ranunculus, Helianthemum, 

 Draba, and Arabis. Some spring-flowering 

 bulbs should also be included, as the low- 

 growing sorts are of great assistance in 

 furnishing the rockery. A few dwarf shrubs, 

 too, are indispensable. 



The Question of Planting is a most 

 important one. If a display of easily grown, 

 free-flowering sorts is required, then several 

 plants may be grouped together to ensure 

 brilliant masses in a short time. The 

 enthusiast, however, is not satisfied with 

 this ; he likes to include some of the choicer 

 alpines, which are often of comparatively 

 slow growth and provide a less showy though 

 not less fascinating display than the com- 

 moner kinds. A dozen showy rock garden 

 plants can often be purchased at less cost 

 than a single specimen of the rarer kinds. 

 They look best in small groups, each con- 

 taining three plants ; these soon spread, 

 forming an irregular clump. 



Alpines are frequently planted at unsuit- 

 able times. Spring planting is commonly 

 practised, but this is often too late for many 

 of them, those, for example, that flower early 

 in the season. Autumn planting is best 

 providing it is practised early enough, 

 though if the plants can be shaded during 

 summer and well watered in dry weather a 



good time to plant is immediately after they 

 have flowered. This gives them a chance of 

 increasing in size during summer. Generally, 

 however, from the beginning of September 

 until the middle of October is the best time 

 for autumn planting. Spring or summer is 

 often chosen as the season for planting, so 

 that the rockery may be built in autumn or 

 winter and have time to settle down before 

 the plants are placed in position. Plants 

 that have to be inserted in crevices between 

 the rocks or stones ought to be put in as the 

 rockery is built ; the roots can then be 

 spread out well behind the stones, which is 

 much better than forcing them into a narrow 

 space as may be necessary when the rockery 

 is completed. 



Many alpines may be purchased in pots ; 

 these can be planted at any time during 

 spring, summer, and early autumn, since there 

 is practically no disturbance of the roots. 

 Sometimes, however, the roots are so numer- 

 ous and matted together that they must be 

 loosened to enable one to spread them out. 

 Alpines should be planted firmly. Unless 

 the weather is showery, a good watering must 

 be given as soon as the planting is completed. 

 If the ground is dry the hole made to receive 

 the plant ought to be filled with water before 

 the latter is put in. A few stones placed on 

 the surface, or a covering of grit or small 

 chips or gravel, prevents evaporation and 

 keeps the alpines cool and moist, thus 

 saving much labour in watering in dry 

 weather. 



When planting in crevices take care to 

 make the soil thoroughly firm about the 

 roots and use small pieces of stone as wedges 

 round about the plants ; these help to keep 

 them both firm and cool. Preserve intact 

 as many roots as possible, especially the long, 

 tapering tap roots that are characteristic of 

 some alpines. Though shade is not usually 

 necessary it will be found helpful to newly 

 planted alpines that seem slow in becoming 

 established. 



Watering in Spring. Many of the 

 alpines grown on rockeries in nature receive 

 a constant supply of water from the melting 

 snows above during spring and summer. 

 This, except in the case of a moraine \\ith 

 water underneath, we cannot provide, and 

 during dry weather in April and May watering 



