98 ALPINE FLOWERS AND ROCK GARDENS. 



the more intimately he knows them, the stronger their 

 influence becomes. It is, therefore, a constant pleasure 

 to minister to their wants and to guard them. 



The increasing number of people who practise the 

 Simple Life give many recruits to Alpine gardening. 

 These thoughtful souls develop a passionate love for 

 Nature, and they abhor seeing plants grown in stiff, 

 formal, unnatural ways. They love sunshine, the 

 song of birds, the open air ; and these gifts of Nature 

 are marred for them if her other great dower — the 

 flowers — ^is refused the same spontaneity. They appre- 

 ciate, however, the difference between informality 

 and neglect. The plants must be given the necessary 

 conditions for graceful natural growth, but not left 

 to look after themselves. 



Let us consider the directions in which cultural 

 attention may be most needed by plants. 



Weeds. 



It is rather difficult to define a weed, more especially 

 when one sees the kind of plant that enthusiastic, 

 but ill-informed people sometimes admit to their 

 rockeries. Personally, I would rather have one honest 

 Geranium than a dozen plants which have no dis- 

 tinction either of leaf or bloom, and serve no specific 

 purpose. We may, however, accept the rough and 

 ready definition that any plant in our rock garden 

 is a weed for which we have no use, and which we 

 cannot conscientiously give to our friends. This 

 would condemn as weeds many plants other than 

 plain groundsel and crowfoot. Certainly some plants 



