H2 



sist, is placed a delicate Alpine. Of course, this 

 is merely the death-warrant of the subject. 

 Some tough and weedy species, that thrive on 

 neglect, may survive the broiling ordeal. Usu- 

 ally only the rocks and Sedums remain, and the 

 cultivation of Alpines is given up in disgust. 



To grow Alpine plants successfully, it is 

 necessary to understand the object of the rock- 

 garden its special adaptation to a very large 

 class of beautiful plants, which find in it the 

 root-moisture and natural surroundings they re- 

 quire. Many of these are too minute, many too 

 fastidious, to be grown in any other way. The 

 novelty, the delightful variety and charm which 

 the rock-garden lends to the cultivation of flow- 

 ers can scarcely be overestimated. From the 

 very requirements of most Alpine plants, which 

 love to run deeply into the soil in search of 

 moisture, it is self-evident that there should be 

 no unfilled spaces left between the base and sur- 

 face. The rocks should be firmly imbedded in 

 the soil, with sufficient space left between them 

 for root development of the plants. While the 

 hideous chaos of stones of the average " rock- 

 ery " can not be too severely condemned, half- 

 buried bowlders, showing here and there their 

 weather-beaten sides, have a picturesque look, 

 especially when the flowering season is over. 



