704 



PICTURESQUE STYLE OF FLOWER-GARDENS. 



polished grassy lawn : grass and rocks do 

 not harmonise ; it is rare to find them so 

 in nature. The vegetation around the base 

 of rockeries should be of rustic plants, 

 such as the varieties of our hardy na- 

 tive heaths, and similar plants. These 

 should, however, bear no resemblance to 

 having been planted, but as if they had 

 been brought in large masses, and scat- 

 tered irregularly around the margin, with 

 here and there a moss-clad boulder-stone, 

 partly or in whole above the surface. The 

 proper arranging of the base-line is not the 

 most easily executed part of the rockery. 



Rockwork may be introduced both in 

 the gardenesque and picturesque styles of 

 flower-gardens, but never into the geome- 

 tric. The intention of rockwork is to 

 shut out objects not wished to be seen ; 

 to divide the garden into different com- 

 partments ; to cover sterile banks, in the 

 gardenesque style ; and to imitate natural 

 rocks, cascades, alpine rivulets, and to 

 divide into different compartments, or 

 to exemplify the natural stratification of 

 some particular locality, in the pictur- 

 esque style. To accomplish these with 

 judgment and taste is an art that cannot 

 be taught by books ; the lessons must be 

 taken from the great book of nature. 

 The rockwork, being formed, should be 

 sufficiently clothed with plants indigenous 

 to similar situations naturally. 



There is one, and singularly enough the 

 most common of all kinds of rockwork, 

 but certainly not deserving the name, to 

 be met with in most gardens ; that is, 

 mounds or banks thrown up and covered 

 with pieces of curious stones, clinkers, 

 vitrified bricks, &c, and not unfrequently 

 roots of trees, and fragments of sculptured 

 stones. Such materials as these, having 

 no relation whatever to one another, or to 

 any rock in nature, can only be admitted 

 into gardens as affording shade and shelter 

 to the plants set amongst them, for which 

 they are admirably suited. But to intro- 

 duce such incongruous materials into land- 

 scape is equally ridiculous and absurd. 



The Chinese, who are partial to imita- 

 tions of the grander features of nature 

 in miniature, frequently construct rock- 

 works in their smallest gardens ; and we 

 have no doubt but with these, and the 

 stunted forms of trees which they have 

 the art of producing, they can compose 

 pretty good models of natural or alpine 



scenery, and all within a very limited 

 space. 



The subject of rockwork appears to 

 have been hitherto, as it were, carefully 

 avoided by writers on landscape, as well 

 as on flower gardening. 



The following sensible remarks, which 

 appeared in " Chambers's Edinburgh 

 Journal," are so replete with good advice 

 on the subject, that we are induced to 

 give them nearly at length : — 



" The rocky ravine, the mountain brow, 

 and the sea beach, are the most fertile 

 sources of materials for a rockery; and 

 it is necessary, in selecting them, to pay 

 minute attention to the manner in which 

 the various rocks are deposited in their 

 several beds, and also to the mosses, 

 heaths, and ferns, which are congenial to 

 them ; for in proportion as the selector 

 shall succeed in imitating nature will he 

 please his own eye and gratify his friends. 

 Having fixed on the quarter whence mate- 

 rials are to be procured, the next step is 

 to find out an intelligent workman, who 

 may execute the charge intrusted to him 

 with care. On this a good deal depends, 

 and some pains should be taken to make 

 him understand thoroughly what is 

 wanted. The size of the stones should 

 always be varied, but proportioned upon 

 the whole to the intended size of the rock- 

 work. A number of detached erections 

 never look well ; they are stiff and arti- 

 ficial. The whole should show an evident 

 and well-defined connection ; and with 

 regard to the stones, the greatest possible 

 variety in form and size should be 

 studied. The foundations should consist 

 of mounds of earth, which' answer the 

 purpose as well as any more solid erection, 

 and will make the stones go farther. 

 Rocks of the same kind and colour should 

 be placed together; if intermixed, they 

 seldom wear a natural appearance. A 

 dark cave, penetrating into the thickest 

 part of the erection, is not very difficult 

 to construct; and when encircled with 

 ivy, and inhabited by a pair of horned 

 owls," alive of course, "which may be 

 easily procured, it will form a most inte- 

 resting object. Rock plants of every 

 description should be profusely stuck 

 around, and in one short twelvemonth 

 the whole scene will exhibit an impress 

 of antiquity far beyond anticipation. The 

 whole should be enclosed with forest trees 



