The Rock Garden in September 
By William N. Craig. Massachusetts 
IT is quite generally assumed that while a rock garden 
is a thing of beauty in May and June that during the 
bulk of the balance of the year it is more or less of 
an eyesore, or at least it is not a part of the garden 
worthy of more than a very cursory inspection. Much 
depends on what has been planted in the garden, perhaps 
the grower may prefer to have only subjects which bloom 
in Spring or early Summer. In such cases, of course, 
flowers in late Summer can hardly be looked for, but if, 
on the other hand, a careful selection of plants is used, 
a goodly display of flowers may be had at this season, 
and, in fact, some may be had until frost seals the ground. 
I might mention in passing that late Summer and early 
Fall is a vastly better time to plant out stock for this 
style of gardening than Spring; some subjects are better 
left until Spring, but I have found that Aubretias, 
Androsaces, Leontopodiums, Sedums, Linarias, Arabis, 
Campanulas, Primulas, Violas, Potentillas. Dianthus, 
Drabas, Geraniums, Armerias, Arenarias, Silenes, Sem- 
pervivums and many more rarely fail if planted at this 
season, if care is taken to give them a light mulch of 
leaves when freezing weather occurs. A heavy mulch 
given with the mistaken idea of keeping the plants warm, 
simply causes such subjects as Helleborus, the large 
foliaged Saxifragas, Heucheras, Aubretias. and others, 
to rot, especially when we get such heavy snowfalls as in 
February, March and April of the present year. 
We are too much in the habit of leaving our planting 
of not only rock plants, but herbaceous perennials, trees 
and shrubs until the over burdened Spring season. 
Compare the growth of any of the various types of 
plants named which have been Fall planted with those 
set out the following Spring and these latter will be 
found not in the race at all. Of course, there are some 
varieties of rock plants, herbaceous perennials, roses, 
ornamental trees, shrubs and fruit trees which are better 
Spring planted, but my experience of over a quarter of a 
century in Xew England has been that the horticultural 
craft as yet has failed to see the great advantages of Fall 
versus Spring planting. 
But to return to the rock garden. These notes are 
penned on September 8 and are intended as a little en- 
couragement to those who may have been laboring under 
the delusion that a rock garden at this season is little 
more than a stone pile and without floral beauty. 
The question may be asked, "Is it not quite expensive 
to plant such a garden ?" It will be easy spending con- 
siderable money on one. if all plants are to be bought, but 
this is quite unnecessary as with the aid of even a cold 
frame seedlings can be raised in quantity. Some varie- 
ties are slow in germinating, but a large proportion, 
including many of the most beautiful, are quickly and 
inexpensively produced in this way. Many can be secured 
from cuttings and others from division of the roots. 
At present the Campanula family probably gives us 
more flowers than any others in the rock garden. C. 
Carpatica, the well known Carpathian bell flowers, has 
been flowering since early July and will persist until early 
December. Some good forms of this Campanula are 
Coelestina with soft blue flowers and White Star with 
extra large white ones of great substance. C. fragilis of 
a delicate trailing habit has quite large flowers, less cup 
shaped than those of C. carpatica. C. rotundifolia, the 
well known "blue-bells of Scotland" can be depended 
upon to flower practically the whole Summer and it looks 
particularly well growing out of chinks between rocks 
where seed has dropped or been scattered. C. linifolia is 
at its best now, it has very narrow foliage and deep blue 
flowers very similiar to those of C. rotundifolia. C. 
pusilla, the miniature hare bell is a little gem growing in 
compact tufts, four inches in height with soft pale blue 
or white flowers held erect. This is a very profuse 
bloomer. 
Of course the forms of Viola cornuta are known to be 
the most persistent bloomers of any of the rock plants. 
Alba and atro-purpurea are still a mass of bloom. The 
last named possesses the greater vigor and to be seen at 
its best should have very little shade, as indeed should the 
greater number of rock plants. A comparatively small 
number succeed in heavy shade. Viola gracilis var. 
Purple Robe, is a beautiful plant. It lacks the vigor of 
cornuta but its intense violet flowers are larger although 
much less freely produced. 
Linaria cymbalaria is a good trailing plant which will 
grow where there is very little soil and it is one of our 
best and most continuous bloomers for hanging over 
locks. There is a pure white and lilac form. L. pallida 
has lilac flowers, somewhat larger than those of L. cym- 
balaria, but of similar habit. L. alpina with purple 
and orange colored flowers is another good variety, more 
dainty than the other varieties named. 
Androsaces are very charming little plants; flowering 
just now is A. lanuginosa, a gem with pretty silvery foli- 
age on trailing growths, the flowers are rose colored with 
a deeper eye. A. primuloides with rosy lilac flowers is 
another dainty variety. Silene Schafta is a beautiful late 
blooming catchfly with large bright pink flowers at its 
best now. S. maritima with its grayish leaves is a good 
trailing plant now, yielding a second crop of its white 
flowers. 
Papaver nudicaule, the pretty Ireland poppy, is still 
blooming. Globularia nudicaule which bloomed in June 
is now giving a second crop of flowers which are of a 
pretty blue shade. Heuchera brizoides is a very satis- 
factory bloomer with graceful spikes of rosy-carmine 
flowers ; many gardeners would not recognize an old 
friend Plumbago Larpentoe under the newer name our 
botanists have given it, viz. : Ceratostigma plumbagi- 
noides. This latter name is unlikely to come into general 
use fortunately. P. Larpentoe is a pure September 
bloomer and we have no deeper blue flowers amongst 
rock plants if we except the Gentianas. 
Lotus corniculatus is a pretty light yellow prostrate 
growing member of the Leguminosae family which makes 
a fine carpet of growth. Leontopodium alpinum carries 
more flowers than at any time during the season. The 
peculiar flower of the Edelweiss enclosed in woolly 
tracts attracts any one's notice. The flowers in our hot 
climate are not so white as in their native Alps. Aster 
alpinus is just coming nicely into flower. Its large bright 
purple flowers are very striking, the form Himalaicus 
with lilac flowers is perhaps the best. 
Tunica Saxifraga of a graceful trailing habit and small 
pink to white flowers is a splendid and persistent bloom- 
ing plant. Ajuga Genevensis and Nepeta Mussini are of 
the continuous blooming type. Myosotis palustris Sem- 
perflorens, the water-loving forget-me-not, is still blue 
witli flowers and in very dry locations, too. 
Dianthus deltoides which was cut over when its first 
crop of flowers had faded, is again blooming profusely. 
Brilliant is the best of the pink forms. D. carmincus, a 
much dwarfer grower than deltoides. with rich 
rosy 
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