CHAPTER XII 



THE ROCK GARDEN 



The rock garden is a sort of edition de luxe in 

 the garden repertoire, that is, it is so to us of the 

 Middle "West where stones and rocks are about as 

 rare as rooks eggs, but in New England they may 

 often be a "virtue of necessity." It is a fascinating 

 necessity since there are so many delightful things 

 that are especially suited to a- rockery; things that 

 one seldom sees in the garden proper, while most of 

 the common things, annuals, perennials, shrubs and 

 small trees, all may be colonized in the pockets and 

 comfortable crannies of a generous rockery. 



A rockery, to be at its best, should never be a mere 

 tumulus of stones, though even that makeshift may 

 be attractive with proper planting, but should have 

 its beginning in some natural way, starting at some 

 fixed point, as a group of trees which may be planted 

 for the purpose; a stone wall or a building, or one 

 great boulder may be the inception of the whole. The 

 rocks at the beginning should be large and be so placed 

 as to appear to crop out of the ground ; they may di- 



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