NO. I ROCKERY, EGANDALE, I905 
THREE HOUSE AND GARDEN SUGGESTIONS 
By W. C. Egan 
Garden A ROCKERY, or even a rock-garden, 
Rockeries l as known in Europe, and especially 
in the moist and favorable climate of England, is 
not known here. Our hot sun, drying winds and 
severe winters are inimical to success. 
The term rockery, in a garden sense, implies the 
cultivation only of Alpine plants, and those whose 
habitat is that of the crevices and shallow pockets 
in the rocks; in fact, those first constructed were to 
afford a congenial home to this class of plants, the 
elevation producing the perfect drainage required, 
and the projecting stones the shelter from sun and 
wind. Man is progressive, and rocky glens and 
dales, where fern and brake had taken refuge, sug¬ 
gested the rock garden,, more extensive in area and 
more level in contour. 
An abandoned stone quarry, a natural out-crop of 
rocks, or the talus of a ledge, often afford most ad¬ 
mirable situations for a rock-garden, and here one 
may depart from the traditional restrictions, and use 
plants spurned by the Europeans as being outside 
the charmed circle of rock plants. 
In these situations, as elsewhere, ample and deep 
root-run of soil must be provided. 
When Nature has not supplied these requisites, 
and one feels that he must have a rock-garden, he 
is placed in a quandary, requiring thought and study 
to be successfully liberated. A natural out-crop 
suggests, and probably is, the most suitable position, 
but in its absence a site must be chosen. Here comes 
the rub. Sometimes, as in my case, some natural 
condition of the surroundings suggests a situation. 
From a deep ravine at the southern limits of my 
grounds a spur runs out into the lawn, cutting the 
turf into two lobes. If Nature took the notion to 
invade my premises in that manner, she might also 
have deposited some rocks at the point—at least, I 
imagined so, and chose that place for my rock-gar¬ 
den. The densely-wooded ravine formed an essen¬ 
tial background, and hid the retaining wall of 
boulders at the raised back. 
The first step was to cart quite a mound of rich, 
light soil to the spot, and put it in place, high at the 
back and receding gently to the lawn on three sides. 
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