The Pleasures of Rock Gardening 
By John F. Pipe 
OF late years great progress has been made in the 
cultivation of rock garden plants and at the New 
York Flower Show this spring they were an out- 
standing feature and the objects of the admiration of all 
visitors. These little plants, with their myriads of bright 
blooms, of all shapes, colors, and sizes, nestling here and 
there in large clumps and small, captivate us at first sight, 
and yet, some of the gardens where the most wonderful 
collections are found were started by growing only a 
few specimens. It is really astonishing how extremely 
fast a garden will grow when only a few plants are added 
each year, and no other flower family will we find which 
will give us such a variety of flowers for so long a season. 
The rock garden is most delightful and interesting 
when built and formed on as natural lines as possible ; 
r, New Jersey. 
prevail in its native habitat of the mountains of Europe 
or of this country. I have been told by collectors that 
sometimes the plants have very little actual soil in which 
to grow, and that they are so embedded between the 
stones that they root to the depth of several feet. One 
would think that a plant with such root action would have 
a large amount of surface growth, but it is the root which 
is the necessary part of the plant in the cold weather, as 
in many instances the plants themselves are frozen every 
night all the year round. 
Down in the valleys where the weather is milder and 
the sun has more power one may see fields of such plants 
as the taller-growing Campanulas, Centaureas, Geran- 
iums, Polygonums, and many others, and we can easily 
understand why many of the choice plants from the 
The George ousncss of Color When This Rock Garden, Containing. One of the finest and Must Varied Collections of Alpine Plants 
in This Country Is in Full Floivcr, Is Indescribable. 
and, given suitable surroundings and approximately nat- 
ural conditions of growth, the plants will withstand the 
most severe weather. 
I will not enter into planting details, but I should just 
like to emphasize the importance of planting firmly, and 
in so doing, taking care not to damage the roots, as there 
is nothing more disastrous than this to the well-being of 
the plants. I believe that in firm planting lies the main 
reason for the successful and vigorous growth of the 
plants in a well-established rock garden. 
Many amateurs kill or endanger certain kinds of plants 
by putting them in the greenhouse during the winter. 
Even should they survive such treatment, they never 
make such bold masses as they would if left outside with 
the proper care. The Alpine plant is not worthy of its 
name if we have to resort to such methods to protect it. 
We must remember that greenhouse conditions do not 
higher altitudes are so small. All true Alpines are of 
small structure, and Nature provides them with a gar- 
ment of their own which enables them to withstand the 
many storms as well as the powerful rays of the sun. 
after having been frozen up all night. A great many of 
them are covered with snow from 6 to 8 months of the 
year, leaving them about 4 months free of' their downy 
covering in which to bloom and make new growth for 
the following season. 
Owing to their natural conditions of protection we find 
the true Alpines growing and thriving in altitudes which 
are prohibitive to the life of trees and shrubs. At an 
elevation of from 5,000 to 10,000 feet we find great 
masses of such plants as Androsace, Erinus, Saxifrages, 
Gentian, Primulas, and Soldanellas, with many other va- 
rieties too numerous to mention. These varieties are 
found in their full beautv during Tune and July. 
22S 
