452 JOURNAL OF THE EOY.iL HORTICULTUR.iL SOCIETY. 
well deserved. The original defect in this particular has been 
remedied by a change of plan; by the "plant pockets" now 
being made (so to speak) "bottomless," and to rest wliolly on 
the underlying soil, and no longer making them mere pockets 
in the rock, drained by a hole into the soil. Messrs. Pulham, as 
I have said, use natural stone where possible. Xo other work 
than theirs, that I have personal knowledge of, proceeds on the 
lines of imitating, on a scale large enough to be effective, the 
stratifications found in nature. 
Next in importance probably, but hardly second in merit 
perhaps — and high in both — are the many fine rock-gardens 
made by Mr. Potter, of Messrs. Backhouse & Son. These may 
even be preferred to Pulliam's work by many who cannot 
tolerate the notion of any imitation in material, and Mr. Potter 
has, with natural stone only, achieved large effects. 
So much as regards rock-garden construction having large 
size and effect for its purpose. I pass to a suggestion or two in 
regard to those more simple and inexpensive constructions for 
the reception of rock-plants (even rockeries they cannot always 
be very fitly termed, though for brevity's sake I call them so) to 
which the most of us are of necessity limited. 
"Without expense at all proportionate, we may imitate the 
rock-garden at Kew, and proceed as there by excavating a 
" defile " on the flattest and most unpromising of sites, the 
soil excavated being thrown up right and left, thus doubling the 
height of the banks. The space used may be small (there it is 
large), the rocks or stones used may be many or few. At Kew 
the two banks have been crowned or backed (wholly, I think) by 
Ehododendrons. But I should prefer the plan of lea\'ing these 
banks to be faced on both sides, and perhaps also crowned, with 
rock-plants and rocks, sloping to turf. 
This plan of excavation is very generally adopted. It is 
economical of soil, and is the best, probably, when the soil is 
light and drainage complete. Where the natural soil is heavy, 
the site low, or drainage is inadequate, the rockery is better lifted 
wholly above the natural level. You may then make it " barrow- 
sliapod " — long and low (though not often advisedly narrow). 
Some natural informality of outline should be observed. Or you 
may have it in the form of a mere stony bank, where a slope in 
the ground lends itself to that plan ; or in that of a spur 
