Rock Gardens 



243 



FIG. 363. — TREATJIENT OF AX ODD CORXER. 



dozen clumps of choice sih'erv and mossy 

 saxifrages, but the rocks, though large and 

 good, are so placed that not only do thev 

 fail to please, but thev do not readily 

 permit of proper-planting. Stones properly 

 stratified, on the other hand, are admirably 

 adapted to the needs of the plants. The 

 best all-round kind of rock to employ is 

 weather-worn limestone, which is beautiful 

 in itself. Natural stone should be used 

 wherever it occurs in the district. Sand- 

 stone crumbles someA^hat rapidh', but the 

 grit thus produced is a valuable rooting 

 medium. A\-oid, as \-ou v"ould the plague, 

 all manner of brickbats, clinkers, concrete 

 and tree trunks. Alwavs laA- the stones with 

 their broadest face downwards. If these 



simple rules be obeyed, the 

 rock garden will appear to be 

 something inherent in the soil, 

 and not a mere fortuitous 

 medley of stones. It is desir- 

 able that all the rocks should 

 dip the same way. It used 

 to be thought that it was 

 necessary to have all stones 

 dipping backward into the 

 soil, but experience has shown 

 that this is not so. The reverse 

 slope shown in Fig. 367 at A 

 will conserve moisture quite as 

 effectually as the slopes indi- 

 cated at C and E. The forma- 

 tion shown also in Fig. 367 by 

 B and D has been f o u n d 

 successful from e\'erv point of 

 view. The actual appearance 

 of rocks laid as shown by 



is seen in 



respectively, 

 whole of the soil underlying 

 the rock garden must be 

 thoroughly trenched and 

 worked to a depth of at least 

 two and a half feet, and 

 deeper stih if possible. Plenty 

 of leaf mould, or thoroughly 

 rotten manure, should be in- 

 corporated in the soil. 



C and E 

 and 360 



Figs. 



359 

 The 



Fit 



ob-l- 



-ALPIXE PRIMULAS GROWIXG IX VERTICAL FISSURE. 



