Constructing the Wall 39 



Some, however, were too well built for this phase of 

 gardening — ^were, indeed, not built for it at all, but 

 rather to support the great banks of clay that existed 

 behind. Hence their small and almost solid stone-like 

 joints presented some difficulty. Presently, however, 

 Erinus did well, and, by degrees, Linaria pilosa, the 

 smaller encrusted Saxifragas and the Cobweb and 

 other Houseleeks were made to bejewel the joints. 

 None, I think, appealed to me in that rather difficult 

 wall so much as the Linaria named. It not only 

 appeared made for the position, but became effective 

 by threading itself between the joints in all directions. 



Wall Building. — ^One or two essentials merit atten- 

 tion here. We have just seen that, for our purpose at 

 least, the mason or correctly built wall is wrong, or, 

 generally, ill-suited. The desire is to grow plants, not 

 starve them. Hence if our wall has to perform the 

 function of a retaining structure, the actual strength 

 for this must be a thing apart from the planting sec- 

 tion. In other words, it should be built in behind and 

 quite obscured from view. For this purpose there is 

 nothing like good cement concrete set with a batter of 

 one foot in four or rather less, with three-inch drain 

 pjpes at the base and occasionally elsewhere to carry 

 off the moisture. This much being in order, the plant- 

 ing wall — that portion we desire to make beautiful — 

 can be arranged in front at will. 



The Best Materials. — As in rock gardening proper, 

 either sandstone or limestone should be selected (Figs. 

 17 and 18) ; bricks, clinkered bricks or burrs only being 

 used as a last resource. We want just that degree of 

 rugged informality here as in the rock garden. We 

 want, too, the fullest measure of sympathy and nourish- 

 ment the natural rock is capable of giving to the plants, 

 believing that properly equipped walls are in the nature 

 of a panacea for many of the ills to which high alpines 

 in lowland gardens are prone, and believing, too, that 

 the true solution is to be found in the drier conditions 

 obtaining and in the use of natural rock or stone. 



