THE ROCK GARDEN 



157 



We have digressed, but we must return to our own country where 

 the conditions are really quite beneficial for rock features. An ideal 

 situation is one where the plants are protected with snow during the 

 Winter and not subjected to extremely hot conditions in Summer. 

 The moist, cool rock crevices lend themselves most admirably to this 

 treatment. 



Construction 



The amount of construction necessary will vary according to what 

 is at hand to begin with. Let us suppose that we have a rocky bank 

 which may even be a sort of supporting wall; perhaps we have a small 

 brook whose sides we would like to plant, or we may have to construct 

 the garden from the start. 



The first case, that of a rocky bank or wall, is the simplest to 

 manage. It may be necessary to use a wedge to open up some of the 

 cracks so that they become larger; these should be filled with a rather 

 rich, not too light, soil consisting of good loam and one-fourth manure. 

 It is advisable to have all the crevices open into areas of soil. This 

 we cannot do upon natural rock banks. With these natural rock 

 gardens we must take a chance as to the depth of the crack and soil. . 



In planting a brookside, boulders and rocks will be available 

 usually. The problem here is to build up the rocks informally and 

 with soil between them. Many an innocent Summer brook is a bad 

 marauder in the Spring. Confine your efforts to the areas above the 

 flood and perhaps sow a few annuals near the water. Do not spend 

 too much energy arranging the rocks nicely in the basin of the brook. 

 The water will no doubt destroy all your efforts. 



When we must construct an entirely new rockery the problem is 

 . greater. It should run nearly north and south; this will provide 

 various exposures for different plants. Above all things, avoid any 

 cut stone, brick or anything artificial. Statuary is never at home in 

 a rock garden. If the gard*en must be made from flat land the best 

 thing to do is to dig out a little valley, running it very irregularly. 

 The soil removed can be used to build up on the sides, so that the 

 little vale appears deeper than it is. Shrubs can be planted about 

 the mound on the outside. It must be added that there is danger in 

 having a wet hole instead of a beautiful rock garden if the created 

 valley has poor drainage. This building up of the soil must be done 

 in a very irregular way and care should be taken that the top soil is 

 saved from the land which will be covered, for it will again be needed 

 to cover the subsoil laid bare. 



When the soil has been removed the rocks can be placed. They 

 should never be arranged in correct tiers, nor should the direction of 



