1870. ] 
ALPINE FLOWERS FOR ENGLISH GARDENS. 
99 
all necessary details for constructing rockwork or rock-gardens, finishing up with 
a little tour in the Alpswhile the second division (pp. 121-373) contains an 
alphabetical enumeration of the choicest Alpine plants, with special directions for 
culture, and useful select lists 
of Al 2 )ines adapted for various 
purposes. There is a very 
complete index, and the vol¬ 
ume is illustrated by a large 
number of woodcuts, some of 
which we are enabled to in¬ 
troduce through the courtesy 
of the author. 
Perhaps there is no fea¬ 
ture of decorative gardening 
which has been in a more 
unsatisfactory state than that 
of the construction of rock- 
Eudb Staie in Book-Garden. . i t 
eries or rock-gardens for the 
culture of Alpine and allied plants. The most deplorable fault in the construc¬ 
tion of such gardens, and one which we are told is far too common, is that of so 
arranging the materials used in forming it, that they seem to have no connection 
with the soil of the spot 
where they are placed. In¬ 
stead of allowing what 
may be termed the founda¬ 
tions of the rock-garden to 
barely show their upper 
ridges above the earth, 
thereby originating much 
more endurable ideas of 
“rock” than those sug¬ 
gested by the unmeaning 
masses usually seen, the 
stones are too often placed 
on the ground, with much 
the same idea that ani¬ 
mates a bricklayer in set¬ 
ting bricks. A few loads 
Passage from Rock-Garden to Fernery. „ n i t ■ 
of well-selected stones ar¬ 
ranged so as to peep out here and there from some gentle isolated mound or 
open sunny spot would produce a far better effect than many hundred tons 
j)laced in the common way. On this question, the construction of rockwork, 
F 2 
