EMBELLISHMENTS. 
433 
The rockwork once formed, choice trailing, creeping and 
alpine plants, such as delight naturally in similar situations, 
may be planted in the soil which fills the interstices between 
the rocks : when these grow to fill their proper places, partly 
concealing and adorning the rocks with their neat green 
foliage and pretty blossoms, the effect of the whole, if pro- 
perly done, will be like some exquisite portion of a rocky 
bank in wild scenery, and will be found to give an air at 
once striking and picturesque to the little scene where it is 
situated. 
In small places where the grounds are extremely limited, 
and the owner wishes to form a rockwork for the growth of 
alpine and other similar plants, if there are no natural in- 
dications of a rocky surface, a rockwork may sometimes be 
introduced without violating good taste by preparing natu- 
ral indications artificially, if we may use such a term. If 
a few of the rocks to be employed in the rockwork are sunk 
half or three-fourths their depth in the soil near the site of 
the proposed rockwork, so as to have the appearance of a 
rocky ridge just cropping out : as the geologists say, then the 
rock work will, to the eye of a spectator, seem to be con- 
nected with, and growing out of this rocky spur or ridge 
below : or, in other words, there will be an obvious reason 
for its being situated there, instead of its presenting a wholly 
artificial appearance. 
In a previous page, when treating of the banks of pieces of 
water formed by art, we endeavoured to show how the 
natural appearance of such banks would be improved by the 
judicious introduction of rocks partially imbedded into and 
holding them up. Such situations, in the case of a small 
lake or pond, or a brook, are admirable sites for rockwork. 
Where the materials of a suitable kind are abundant, and 
55 
