ROOK GAR[>RXS 



KOClv (JARBKNS 



l.-'-ll 



tliry wouM only disii-uT riic iif^ciitiuii from tlic rork 

 i;';tr(li-n. llu.' [u'iiiKiry clijrrt. l^\-cn mm. re iirippropriafe 

 ;in- st;i(i>.ilKU'y t'l >unlailis aiui \ a>L-s, 



l'\)r uii>rr .s|H'(-iti(.- iusCiairt ilmis as h. llu- i-onstTaictinn 

 of rork L;'arilcns ;iii,l tlir cart- and |M-upai;;iri('ii of mrk- 

 (daiirs I, for lMU^.>|icaii rumlii ions ) sit Uohiiison 's " A I pinr. 

 Fhuv.^rs.-' hMiidun, Ls;.-, and Siith(-rlaii<rs -Rard)- Hcr- 

 ItaiN.-mis and Aliiim- Klowrr^," Edinliuv,i;-li and Londun, 



L'l' to T'nW |ioint n/f'-n-iift- lias Ihm/ii nnide t'ortlie most 

 part to disiinrily ali)inc [dants; that is, plants Unit are 

 contiu'T'd e\idusi\-rl\" to tin' fruion on mounl ains almvo 

 the tvo<- and .slirult linp. l'lir\ arc tin- om-s ihal will 

 tust tlif skill of tho culllxator. 'riM.-rr arc, liowrvier, 

 many for ix-] dants; that is. p[;,ni s tliat ii:n>w natundlx' ou 

 rorks, or ]ilants liavint;- a tuft'al. niattrd and nioi-i- of 

 less pi.-rsi-tcnt and ^--va-ruavcn t'o|i;mo similar to al |dn('s 

 that can Ik- nsp,l with tlu^rfi in loss favoraldr |iosH ions 

 in the roL-k -ardru or in thr open liorder. Many of smdi 

 plants ran lie rtadily procnrrd from .Viiiia'ic.'in nursrry- 

 nu.-n and oollL-'i-tors. TIk/v are t.-asy of cull i\'at ion and 

 attractive iu liahit and rlowaa-. Th^- writer W'.iuhl iiududr 

 also low-growing- hulhoQs planis. i-spoi-ially sn<di us have 

 inronspii.-in.His t'oliai^^e. Thoy ran \<-- [ilanted witli the 

 low gri.tunil-'-oVtTiny plants to pnsh up llirongk tlieiu. 

 From thi-- list are oniittv-'d surh ]ilanis ashrlong more 

 ]iroperiy in tiie wild yarden, espff.dally such as spread 

 rapidly by ituderground shoots and are likely to hct'onie 

 a pest. {In a rookei'V conditions are sucdi that it is 

 almost impossil.de to extirpate deep-routinLT, weedy 

 plants, and rhey abovo all otlnu-s should iie I'lLfidly ex- 

 jlmled. I Among desirabh- rock-plants ihr wrili-r wonid 

 incltide Gerdnhoii ^moju i unnu . A ml r- irsii and Jiohrrt- 

 iaXHiit, Gijp.'<opJiihi iiinrnlis, IL I tmitJu-intnH rulijarf, 

 HeUehoni^ i'ii/-'r. Lroiit'i/)0<^ ' /( h/ 'ilpl lui ni , Litiurin 

 dimbnlnriji. Lotus. r,>n> !cu hifn.., L,,rJni is Vi.srn r'xi , Pa - 

 pa rer a iphiii III and ninlir.i ulr , < '■: luilosfoj mu L'lrpiiitit: , 

 Sa j'oiKi ria ■■'■i/nn'i'hiS, I'eron'c'-a 7'- nminn and rupi st rix , 

 Arah'is a/pu/it, t'a iiipa )i nla tr<i(ji I iy. , Duplnn Ciuorinii, 

 species of Alyss-nm, Beilis, (..'erastinm. Armaria, Di'aba, 

 Epimedium, Iberis. Thyunrs, Arabis, Arnn-ria, Ajuga, 

 Dianthns, S*'dnm. Sagina. Primula, A(|nilo^■ia. Saxi- 

 fraira. Cory da lis, Myosiitis, Scmpm'vivum. I'ariuissia. 

 Viola, Hepatica, Upniina. Iloustonia, Aihiuouc j'alciis, 

 var. yaftaUia ua . dwarf and ^rcopinij: (.'ampanulas. 

 Coriius Caaa'h.iisis, D'n-,„tra ,ri,>ua. Ca/huia vaj- 

 ycn-/.^', Iris crislafa, ri'nni a.nd pinuihi, Lr /npJnilhdn 



fans, Saj-i- 



It a.l-rithdal in tlu' smisc. nf made \>y man. hccau,-.o 

 tow 1,-ardoiis contain a natural ItauK" orslop,Mipon \\lii,di 

 oiM- mi-hi, he coHstrurh'd. In any caso. ii should l^e 

 <diara.crrri/.od by sim|diciiy and naiuraluoss. In faid, in 

 no parr of a i;-a.rdcn has lln- -archana- uiori' o] i p< u-tnii i t y 

 to ij,iv expression lo his narural lastr lliaii in Ihe con- 

 structitm and [dantin- of a rorkory. If a -ardcn dur^ 



^ pr. 



buxifoVnim, Phh'X sabnlata 



fraga Virqinifns'is, SiAm^ Pc nsijl ca mra and I n-ijniica, 

 Aiinnou'.'thaJictrnhJf^s. Wa pJstri hIk fra'ji' rl^lAis , Galax 

 aplnjU'i, Anj'trala odorafa, low-growing ferns, mosses, 

 etc. Wakren H. Manning. 



A rock garden or rockery is, or should be, an imita- 

 tion (thoutrh of necessity in a limitod an<l smaller 

 way) of a natural rock}' slope stich as is often semi on 

 moinitain sides, but made more interesting and at- 



JWf->W * i _ ^ J* J 



2139. An isolated rockery under a tree. Southern California. 



tractive liy the planting of a large variety of alpine 

 and other plants. The nn^aninudess monnds (d' stones 

 too often seen in gardens, jdaided with summer-bed- 

 ding plants or vines, <]<> not rei'resent the trne c-oncep- 

 tion of a rockerv. A rockery must of necessity often 



2140. A picturesque mckwork, for the wilder parts 

 of the grounds (European). 



jHisition <~>r aspect 

 unless 

 ;ispect 



contain a natural baid: or slope, tl 

 may not be an ideal one. A soi 

 within the shade of tall trees, is not as 

 as a nctrtheru one, owing to the soil becomiuL^ In 

 and dry, just the opposite comliti(Ujs fur inie aljnne 

 plants, yome of the best rockeries are what are known 

 as utidergroand roid<eries : for instance, the one in tin- 

 Koyal Botanic (.birdmis, Kew. Ijiuidon. England, is an 

 nudergrouuil rockery, l-'efore this rockery was con- 

 structed the ground was jierfectly h-vel. A cuttiuii' vras 

 iiegun at one tuitrance, at hrst shallow, but gradually 

 deepening till a dej^th of some (i or 7 feef was'reached", 

 and an average width of about HI feet at the bottom. 

 AH the s(dl taken out was i>laeed on the fop of the 

 slopes, thus stil! further incn asing tin- ludght. The 

 cutting was nnide in a windin;:- maunei', no( fornnil or 

 zigza^i", but in such a manner that when conii)leted, not 

 oidy would a variety of aspects be secured to suit the 

 requirements of different plants, but each ttirn should 

 seem ti' jiossess a pec ti liar charm of its own. The 

 whoh:- cutting is ])erhai)s some 200 yards in length. 

 The roid-;s are placed in the l.ianks in as natural a nutti- 

 ner as it wtuild seem possible to place them: now Ihcy 

 stand out l)u!dly, almost perpendicular with the ed::e of 

 the path, then again they recede into hollow recessis. 

 There are not too many rocks, nor yet too few. In (un- 

 place a cascade falls over the rocks into a small iio^d 

 wdiich not only provides a habitat for aijuatic and bog 

 plants, Init also adils greatly to the beauty of the 

 rockery. f\.>r tlie convenience of the public a broad 

 gravel jjath rtms throtigb the wlnde rotd-^in-y. I^hodo- 

 dendrons and other shrubs are ])lantiMl rui top of the 

 banks iu grotips, and not in straight lines, wljile bi-hiud 

 these for protection and shade are planted pine,^ and 

 i.)ther conifers, as well as some deciduous trees. The 

 ro(d<s are "idaia^d in most cases so as to form "pockets" 

 of good size info which the plants could be plante<l, and 

 the soil made in the pO(d<et to suit the re,|uirempnts of 

 the different plants. With such a varieiy of aspects and 

 conditions this rock'ery is abb- to acconuuodate one of 

 the largest ladlectjous of alpine and rock plants in 

 the world. As ibis rockery was for a time the special 

 charge of the writer while a strident at Kew, well does 

 he renuanber the deep carpets of mossy Saxifrage, An- 

 brietia, Arabis. ( 'erasi jnm. Sednm, etc.. which Iiuul:- over 

 projecting |edg(^s 'if rocks, while in hssures and Imles 

 in tin"' rocks were u"i'o\vin-' tliose dainty rosette-makijig 

 saxifrages, N. hnn/i folia . N. Ci'fi/frfh.a.'s. enisfacca and 

 iS'. rars/a. as well as tlie charmiiu;- and rosac^'S. In the 

 (b eper reiassMs of Ihe rockerv were to be found the 



