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The Garden Magazine, February, 1922 



four-footed friends. The illusion can be carried still further by 

 placing a bottle, neck in ground, containing a label with the 

 name of the plant. 1 remember an example of this sort which 

 in my boyhood I considered a wonderful achievement. The 

 proud possessor called it her rock friendship garden, as all the 

 plants had been sent her by friends. She had travelled widely 

 and was forgetful, so had taken this device for remembering 

 her friends and the names of the plants, which were separated 

 by stones of different colors, collected like the plants, from 

 various localities. 



The sentiment was fine, but the effect was — from an artistic 

 standpoint — far from satisfactory, and could hardly be called 

 naturalistic, although the designer had intended it as such. 

 Unfortunately the people in the countryside considered it the 

 show-place of the community and brought their friends to see 

 this wonderful garden, with plants from China, Alaska, and, 

 for aught I know, even from Patagonia. 



The unusual and grotesque has a strong attraction for the 

 average man and woman, especially if it belongs to a person of 

 wealth who has travelled and has the reputation for doing the 

 right thing. The real fact of the matter is we need higher 

 standards in garden design as well as in painting, sculpture, and 

 architecture. We should always differentiate between the 

 garden for pictorial effect and the experimental ground for test- 

 ing out new varieties. The builder of a rock garden or designer 

 of naturalistic scenery must always guard against the latter, as 

 the temptation is strong for using too many varieties and un- 

 usual, rather than beautiful, plant material. 



The Stones or Rocks to Use 



THE first step in building a rock garden is the selection of 

 the site. The second is choosing the stones, which should 

 harmonize with any existing rocks on the ground and be well 

 weathered and of one color. Avoid hard rocks if possible; 

 porous and absorbent kinds are best, for the plants' roots cling 

 to them and find moisture in their cracks and crevices. Weath- 

 ered limestone is especially suitable as it is usually filled with 

 fissures, which form footholds for some of the finer Alpines, 

 though limiting the designer to those plants that will thrive 



when lime is present. Tuffa, although more expensive, is without 

 doubt the best of all rock for growing Alpines. Holes can be 

 easily drilled and filled with earth. The roots of the plants will 

 penetrate the stone and the little plants that were poor ordinarily 

 under other conditions, will become strong and healthy. A few 

 well placed large rocks are preferable to a lot of small ones. 



To the careful observer the plants give the impression of 

 growing on top of the rocks, but all collectors of Alpines know 

 that these plants have a strong root system which reaches to 

 quite a depth. They must have plenty of light soil with good 

 drainage. If the soil is heavy, remove it to at least a foot in 

 depth. The rocks must be firmly placed which means the 

 greater part of the rock is beneath the surface, this gives the 

 appearance of stability as though the rocks were natural out- 

 crops. Care should be taken to pack the soil firmly and leave 

 no half-filled fissures or hollows. All the rocks and plants should, 

 when possible, be placed so they slope toward the soil; then 

 all the moisture will trickle to the roots. 



When selecting the plants it is wise to go slowly. 1 should 

 advise using native material for backgrounds wherever possible. 

 Contrary to general opinion, most of our indigenous plants 

 take readily to garden conditions if care is taken to dig the 

 deciduous kinds with plenty of roots and the evergreen species 

 with a ball of earth. 



If not practicable to collect in the immediate neighborhood, 

 there are a number of good collectors of native material from 

 whom stock can be purchased. It is never wise to buy stock 

 that is poorly dug because it is cheap, as the loss is usually heavy 

 and the results most discouraging to the beginner. 



Before buying the small and finer plants read a good book on 

 rock gardens describing plants for different situations. It is a 

 mistake to select too many varieties. 



Some of the Alpines are easy to grow; most of them respond 

 to extra care; others are tantalizing in their requirements and 

 should not be attempted by one unfamiliar with rock gardens. 

 However, the addition from time to time of the more delicate 

 and expensive plants, jewel-like in their rough setting, gives 

 interest and variety to the planting and brings the garden to 

 ever greater perfection. 



The MAKING of the MUNSTEAD PRIMROSE and OTHER 

 PLANT IMPROVEMENTS of GERTRUDE JEKYLL 



'HIS very interesting personal account of Miss Jekyll's 

 improvement of the Primrose and other flowers asso- 

 ? ciated with her name has come to us through the court- 

 esy of Mrs. W. L. Carter of Lexington, Kentucky. 

 While president of the Lexington Garden Club — one of the 

 most active of Southern organizations, by the way — Mrs. Car- 

 ter, herself a tireless gardener in general and a Primrose en- 

 thusiast in particular, wrote Miss Jekyll for information about 

 this family of plants which for years she had been fruitlessly 

 attempting to establish in her garden. Incidentally, the 

 climate of Kentucky seems to present almost unconquerable 

 difficulties to the growing of Primroses, and we are wondering 

 whether any of our garden neighbors in the South have met 

 with success in raising this altogether quaint and delightful 

 little flower. 



Miss Jekyll responded very promptly with a brief history of 

 her work, begun in i860 and carried through many years. This 



Mrs. Carter read to her club, and now generously offers us the 

 privilege of publishing, in order that it may reach a larger 

 group of gardeners. 



Miss Jekyll has been closely identified with the modern inter- 

 est in hardy, herbaceous garden plants in England and through 

 her writings in the English periodicals has wielded a great 

 influence. Indeed, she has reached a wide and appreciative 

 audience on this side of the water, too, through her several books, 

 notably "Colour Schemes in the Flower Garden," "Wall and 

 Water Gardens," "Lilies for English Gardens," "Gardens for 

 Small Country Houses" (the last-named volume in collabora- 

 tion with L. Weaver, architect). 



The popularity of the color-in-the-garden movement to-day 

 may in great measure be attributed to the stimulation of Miss 

 Jekyll's pioneer efforts — for more than half a century she has 

 been unobtrusively and persistently translating dreams into 

 actuality in her Surrey garden. Though now retired from 



