ROCK GARDENS NATURAL AND NATURALISTIC 
STEPHEN F. HAMBLIN 
I nstructor at the School of Landscape Architecture and Director of the Botanic Garden of Harvard University 
2 N CREATING a rock garden that is largely or wholly 
artificial very great skill is necessary to make it blend 
into its setting and appear part of the natural soil 
formation. The upper of the two accompanying plans 
shows the construction and planting of such 
a garden where three big boulders (marked 
A, B, and C) form a ready-made nucleus on 
a rather steep bank of good loamy earth 
sloping to the northeast. Additional stones 
and rocks are laid as indicated by the cross- 
hatched areas, each set deeply enough to 
prevent sliding and no two upon each other, 
the niches between being filled with gritty 
soil. The path is made of flat stones giving 
the illusion of a real ledge lying beneath, 
and enlivened with Thyme and dwarf Speed¬ 
wells so planted that they may be stepped 
over easily. 
In this naturalistic garden, shaded most 
of the afternoon by near-by trees, shrubs of 
a dense dwarf spreading nature are put 
principally along the path to mark it plainly 
and guide the feet aright. 1'hese shrubs 
hold their foliage the year through and the 
herbs used are also mostly of an evergreen 
to be stepped across easily. Gritty soil fills in hollows and crev¬ 
ices and as only plants with iron-clad constitutions thrive in such 
an exposure, the succulents and other desert lovers are the main 
feature, especially the great tribe of Sedums and their relatives. 
Naturalistic Rock Garden 
Each letter or number on the above plan means a group of ten or more 
plants as listed below 
Shrubs 
c. Hairy Rosebay 
d. Heather 
Herbs 
a. Prostrate Savin J uniper 
b. Small-leaved Rosebox 
1. Heart-leaved Rockfoil 
2. Maiden Pink 
3. Rock Soapwort 
4. Thrift 
5. White Stonecrop 
6. Creeping Stonecrop 
7 Carpathian Harebell 
8. Bluebell 
9. Tufted Harebell 
10. Wild Sweet-William 
n. Rock Speedwell 
12. Hoary Speedwell 
13. Saxifrage Pink 
14. Mother-of-Thyme 
15. Horned Violet 
Natural Rock Garden 
Each letter on plan shown at left means a group of several shrubs as listed 
below; each number indicates a dozen or more herbs 
Shrubs 
A. Common Juniper I. Buckleys St. Johnswort 
B. Prostrate Savin Juniper J. Southernwood 
C. Bearberry K. Alberts Honeysuckle 
D. Spreading Rosebox L. Dwarf Japanese Quince 
E. Chinese Barberry M. Dwarf Siberian Pea 
F. Box-leaved Barberry N. Single White Scotch Rose 
G. Small-leaved Barberry P. Bristly Rose 
H. Wilsons Barberry 
character. Blue is the prevailing color of bloom with white and pink for contrast. 
As nearly all this planting is on a considerable slope, the herbs of a creeping 
and drooping nature are selected and so set as to hang down over the rock 
faces in sheets of foliage. 
The construction and planting of a garden like this can be finished by two 
men in three days if the soil works readily—by no means a prohibitive under¬ 
taking for even the small scale gardener. 
Where there is a natural ledge of rock out-crop near a lawn area the prob¬ 
lem of construction is reduced to a minimum and very charming effects may be 
quickly won. In the lower plan the natural rock face is represented by the cross- 
hatch, the varying length of line roughly suggesting the actual elevation of the 
larger rocks. The land here slopes toward the north and east, one edge of the 
rockery being but little above the surrounding lawn, the other quite rugged. 
The whole region is fully exposed to the sun all day long. The only stones added 
are a few of similar formation to complete the walk where spaces are too wide 
Herbs 
1. Evergreen Spurge 
2. Rocky Mountain Threadlily 
3. Wallpepper 
4. Creeping Stonecrop 
5. Pink-flowered Stonecrop 
6. Mossy Stonecrop 
7. Orange Stonecrop 
8. White Stonecrop 
9. Yellow-flowered Stonecrop 
10. Dwarf Yellow Stonecrop 
11. Showy Stonecrop 
12. Japanese Stonecrop 
13. Hen-and-Chickens 
14. Spiderweb Houseleek 
15. Globular Houseleek 
16. California Houseleek 
17. Indian Fig 
18. Western Prickly pear 
19. Pricklypear 
20. Dwarf Rockcress 
21. Mother-of-Thyme 
22. Woolly Thyme 
23. Mountain Thyme 
24. Early Saxifrage 
25. Saxifrage Pink 
26. Sandwort 
27. Yellow Whitlow Grass 
28. White Whitlow Grass 
29. Woolly Chickweed 
30. Rupture Wort 
31. Caroline Phlox 
32. Heath-leaved Aster 
33. Creeping Chalkplant 
34. Woolly Yarrow 
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