THE ROCK AND WATER GARDEN 155 



decorative pieces of stone, the whole should resemble any 

 other part of the rock-garden, except that the contents of it 

 are more stony than the rest. Similar pieces of stone can 

 also be inserted just into the surface of the moraine to break 

 the otherwise flat expanse, and among these the plants will 

 nestle. 



The Water Supply. If water is now allowed to enter the 

 moraine from some diverted trickle which may already 

 decorate the rock-garden, or, if not, is supplied by hand 

 every day or so, fresh water will be more or less constantly 

 passing beneath the roots of the plants contained therein and 

 overflowing at the 6-inch level, and during the growing 

 season this should be the condition of things. When the 

 autumn is with us, the water supply may be cut off, and 

 about the end of October or early November, dependent 

 upon the kind of weather at the moment, the lower valve 

 should be opened and left so until spring returns. It is a 

 good plan, where possible, to let the overflow from the 

 moraine trickle down to supply our bog-bed, and thence 

 away or into any little pool we may have. To protect the 

 crowns of the plants from overhead wet, or the dirt brought 

 down by fogs, a very simple contrivance of three pieces of 

 bent wire so placed as to support a sheet of glass some 

 4 inches or 5 inches above each clump serves admirably, 

 and, if occasionally cleaned, admits both light and air and 

 so does not " coddle " the plants at all. The glass should be 

 slightly tilted to allow the rain to drip off clear of the plant 

 itself. A very fair substitute for broken sandstone is broken 

 brick, but any old mortar adhering thereto should be taken 

 off if it is proposed to grow lime-hating plants. 



The Best Plants for a Moraine. The following list of moraine 

 plants, by Mr. Reginald Farrer, should prove useful not only 

 to the beginner, but also to the expert cultivator of alpines, 

 as Mr. Farrer is a widely recognised authority on the subject. 

 Each moraine, like each gardener, has its special favourites, 

 and the pet results of one moraine are not necessarily those 

 of its neighbour across the wall. Again, the moraine being 

 a very special affair, there is no need in this choice to trouble 

 about " utility " plants, such as the Aizoon Saxifrages, which 

 will grow anywhere. I mean to allow myself, in fact, an 

 orgy of special treasures, since it is for these that the moraine 

 exists. As to the condition of this, let me postulate a moraine 

 of some three parts chips to one part good compost of peat, 

 leaf-mould, and sand (a larger percentage of soil than I have 

 suggested hitherto), watered by a subterranean perforated pipe 



