Aprii.'13, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS* MAGAZINE. 



295 



DRIFTS OF BLOSSOM. 



If there is oue thing ahout a rock garden 



that gives particular pleasure, it is cer- 

 tainly the itse of informal drifts of iblossom. 

 The draping of crags, tji^ .carpeting of 

 crontle slopes., and inasees of foliage and 

 blossom, finding their- way from one level 

 to another between the rocks, is ever a 

 pleasurable feature from the garden-lover's 



point of view. 



It is well, where space and a sufficiency of 

 plants permit, to concentrate upon drifts 

 or sweeps of blossonis, as being much more 

 effective than clumps or dot plants of given 

 subjects. Planting for effect is better than 

 endeavouring to get a collection of, say, a 

 thousand single specimens. Rather tiian 

 forego my pleasurable drifts of blos- 

 som," I would refuse the offer of countless 

 rarities, and trust to one's own exertions in 

 the raising of novelties from the stock in 



AI. brityroiiles alba, and M. conicum 

 Heavenly Blue are tine wlien rising eji 

 masse above close-growing alpines, and are 

 charming with miniature daffodils, such as 

 N. moschatus, X. Queen of Spain, etc. 

 Crocuses gemming masses of Thymus coc- 

 cineus, chionodoxas running riot with saxi- 

 frages like S. apicidata, S. sancta, , etc., 

 and the soft blues of the puschkinias 

 mingling with miniatui'e yellow-flowered 

 alpines, are each and all productive of de- 

 lightful results. 



-Rock plants, which are capable of ex- 

 quisite drifts of colour, naturally im-lude 

 the aubrietias, especially the fine varieties 

 (of which Dr. Mules is so splendidly decora- 

 tive) ; the alyssums, particularly the saxa- 

 tile forms, and a few of the smaller species ; 

 violas of the gracilis character^ rich, illu- 

 minative, and profuse; Zauschneria califor- 

 nica, a blaze of scarlet in late smnmer; 

 helianthemums, particularly those with the 



plants between the stones, and so linking 

 up groupings of similar plants on either side 

 of the pathway. In itself the idea of grow- 

 ing plants in the crevices between 

 the stones of the footway is a commendable 

 one, and if these self-same plants appear 

 to be rovine cnlonists which have come 

 from one side of the garden to the other, 

 the thought of natural effects and simple 

 plant groupings is brought before one at 

 every turn. P. S. Hayward. 



plant 



STANDARD AZALEAS. 



Within the last few years standard 

 s of m a ny d i ff er e n t su b j ec t s li a ve 

 l)eeu extensively grown, and the Indian 

 azalea is one of them. I do not mean 

 plants with a clear stem of about a foot, 

 such as we have always been familiar 

 with, but standards with stems from 3ft. to 

 oft. higfh or thereabouts. Tliese tall plants 



DRIFTS OF BLOSSOM. 

 :V charming scene in an East Anglian Rock Garden 



hand^ to maintain the interest of the gar- 

 den. It matters little wihat group of rock 

 plants is taken, the majority can be made 

 to yield a maximum of beauty if planted 

 on the drift system. Even if one has but 

 a few large plantings these will emphasise 

 and accentuate the beauty and effect of the 

 whole garden they arc situated in. 

 ^ I enclose with these notes an illustration 

 ni tho Holland House rock gai*<l*Mi, lu rt* at 

 '"^nuthcliff. It is oiu^ of st'veral LU)ss(>m 

 ^rift<s, and sbows a group of Saxifraga um- 

 brosa^ continutnl by Aubrietia Rose Queen, 

 C'ulminating on a higher level with a ir.ass 

 of Nepeta Mussini and helianthemums. A 

 pleasing oom.bi nation, showing what can 

 be done in the way of drift planting. 

 Bulbs can be utilised with rock plants in 

 f drifts, and one has in mind trails 



-"^ritillaria meleagris winding through 

 colonies of violas, primulas, and saxifrages, 

 and giving one of the prettiest of spring 

 ^aetts. i^Iuscari azureum, M. botyroides, 



silvery foliage, and golden or ro^y coloui- 

 ings; the taller saxifrages and their kin- 

 dred, the heucheras, which give such light 

 misty masses of pinkish and scarlet blossoms 

 must also be noted. iSnowy cerastiums are 

 invaluable for draping othrrwi.se bare and 

 steep places; the etluMval beauty of the 

 phloxes of the setacea'and subulata groups, 

 and many of the dianthuses, sedums, and 

 irises, all deserve the <ln^r.t attention in 



this connection. 



And these are hut a few. There are ver- 

 onicas, gentians, and the pnmulas and 

 linarias. Ridges gay with alpme poppies, 

 slopes, and crevices thick with campanulas 

 of many species, and bold masses of nepetas 

 and il^ris, are all effective. 



One might go further, and denote many 

 other subjects, but the idea given may 

 assist the reader to the effective planting ot 

 the slopes of the rock garden. Rock gar- 

 den steps also may be brought into the 

 scheuH' by running colonies of low-growing 



are very useful for grouping, as they serve 

 to relieve the monotony of the more lowly 

 specimens. A characteristic si>ecimen was 

 illustrated in the Gardeners' Magazine of 

 March 18, 1911. llie varieties so grown form 

 a good repi-escntativo selection of this >>eanti- 

 fui class of plants, but one cannot tail to 

 notice tlie disappearance among Indian 

 azaleas of niauv ot those varieties who: 



flowers arc of some >liade of magenta, even 

 Madame Van der Ci uy^on. which has been 

 a favourite as long as I ( an re 

 now little grown. On the other hand, semi- 

 double flowers of a rose or salmon-rose tint, 

 with a white or light-coloured }>order. of 

 which Imperatrice des Indes was one of the 

 earliest examples, are now largely grown. 

 Standards of Azalea mollis in several forms 

 are often met with; in fact, as ahove stated, 

 a great manv plants are now grown in this 

 wav. Of summer subjects. Salvia splendens. 

 Plumbago capensis, 



and. of course, fuchsias, may be mentioned, as 

 their habit eminently fits thorn for growing 

 as standards. — W. T. 



