76 



CA^^SELL'S POPULAR GAEDENING. 



"but these are exceptions to the general rule. The 

 shade of trees or walls is to be iDarticularly avoided - 

 and while many of the plants are extremely accom- 

 modating, and may be grown almost anywhere, there 

 are others so exacting in their requirements that they 

 will not brook the presence of any rival in their ovm 

 ■domain, and will fail to thrive if they have not a full 

 •share of sunlight. The plants which are so exacting 

 are also usually those whose intrinsic beauty is such 

 as will repay the fullest attention to their wants. 

 The situation should be somewhat elevated above the 

 ordinarj' groimd-level ; it should not have a uniform 

 height of sui'face, or it will be monotonous in appear- 

 ance, but should rise and fall in gentle undulations, 

 -as is generally the case in a natural Alpinery. One 

 of the reasons for the situation being somewhat ele- 

 vated is that good di^ainage is so secured, which is an 

 essential condition of success with a large number of 

 these plants, especially during our damp winter 

 months, when the presence of stagnant moistui'e 

 would be certain to insure their speedy death. On 

 the other hand, a condition of comparative di-yness 

 .:at this season of the year is distinctly beneficial. A 

 ■somewhat elevated position brings the plants during 

 the blooming period closer to the observer's eye, 

 which, as they are small, and generally very beau- 

 tiful, is a manifest advantage. But do not let it be 

 supposed that we for a moment recommend anything 

 like a pinnacled formation for the rockery : that \mder 

 all circumstances is to be most carefully avoided. 



Watering. — As the rockery is to be above the 

 gi'ound-level, and fully exposed, the soil during dry 

 weather will rapidly lose its moisture. It is, at the 

 «ame time, absolutely necessary, in order to keep the 

 plants in health, that they should never suft'er fi-om 

 drought. In their native homes, the hot sun, while 

 it dries the soil about the plants, melts the snow at 

 higher altitudes, and so yields the roots a supply of 

 life-sustaining moisture at the time when it is most 

 required. In our gardens, or in many of them, this 

 supply of moisture must be provided artificially. 

 ^Tiere possible, a hose laid on to a water service will 

 be foimd the most efl&cient means of watering ; but 

 where this is not attainable, the water-barrow and 

 watering-can, or some other contrivance, must be 

 used instead. In some way water must be applied 

 freely during the growing period ; not in small drib- 

 lets, just moistening the surface, but plentifully, so as 

 to sink down some distance into the soil, and reach 

 the roots (however deep they may run) , which must 

 never during the summer be allowed to suffer from 

 ^rjTiess. Such a watering as we have described will 

 need repeating at intervals, shorter or longer accord- 

 ing to the season ; but one such watering will be far 

 .more beneficial than a mmiber of surface sprinklings. 



such as many amateurs usually, but en-oneously, 

 think sufficient. 



The Rockery. — In common-place rockeries, 

 stone of some kind, or whatever is used as a substitute 

 for stone, constitutes the most prominent feature ; 

 whereas it should be an almost invisible adjunct, 

 though a most necessary and useful one, just as our 

 bones are to om- bodies. Our own rockery, on which 

 we grow a gTeat variety of Alpines, occupies three 

 sides of a small lawn, and faces respectively the 

 south, west, and east. It is protected from the north 

 by a fence, which on the south side is planted vrith. a 

 variety of climbing plants, many of them evergreen, 

 so that at all seasons it forms a pleasant background. 

 The longest side of the rockery is in front of this 

 fence, and consists of a border of varying width, from 

 seven or eight feet to three feet. At irregular inter- 

 vals, at the broadest points, Retinosporas, Skimmias, 

 Pernettyas, &c., are planted in the background, while 

 hardy heaths occupy more forward positions. In 

 front of these plants is the rockery proper. It varies 

 in surface-level, but changes from one height to 

 another gently, never abruptly. In forming it, 

 the first step was to place endwise thin slabs of red 

 sandstone (which is plentiful in our neighbourhood) 

 at the front of the border, and close up to the grass. 

 These slabs constitute what may be called a perma- 

 nent dwarf boundary-wall between the grass and the 

 border, varying from six inches to a foot or so in 

 height. It is so constructed as to seem a natural 

 outcrop from the grass. It permits of the grass 

 being mown close up to it, and the proximity of the 

 lawn enhances the beauty of the plants grown in 

 the border, while with a moderate amount of atten- 

 tion the dwarf wall is a most useful ally in preventing 

 the encroachment of the Alpine plants on to the 

 grass. Except when first forming the rockery, the 

 stone constituting the front boundary- line was not 

 intended to be seen, and rarely has been. Over- 

 hanging plants, such as Saxifrages, Sedums, &c., 

 were planted close at the back of it, and now hang 

 downwards to the grass. These are from time to 

 time, as necessary, kept within bounds, and supply 

 a varied and beautiful covering for the stone, green 

 and pleasant to the eye even in the dei)th of winter, 

 and masses of flowers dming the spring and early 

 summer months. 



The next step was to fill the border with 

 suitable soil, and so to form the foundation of the 

 rockery. The soil was placed so as to afford the 

 surface outline, or contour, which we considered 

 most suitable to the position. Nowhere does its 

 height exceed twenty-four inches above the general 

 level of the border ; but in no part is there a less 

 depth of good soil than two feet six inches ; in the 



