HOUSE AND GARDEN 
May, 1910 
195 
By all means have some Maidenhair Spleenwort 
ferns, and keep them watered 
Do not forget the Maidenhair fern to form a back¬ 
ground for the wild flowers 
Happily, the round stone-wall abomination 
with dry pockets in which no respectable 
plant ever long survived, is of the past. 
A shady corner allures the fern-grower 
and affords scope for a bewildering confusion 
of rock and fern. Individual grouping, 
as we often see in the open, has its merits, but 
an artistic sectional arrangement is better 
for limited space and may be as informal and picturesque as 
the ingenuity of the builder may suggest. Whatever the out¬ 
line of the mass may be, unless in a very sheltered nook, the height 
should never exceed two and a half feet. No great expectations 
need be indulged for growth even at this height, for none of the 
large ferns which grow from a central crown can withstand the 
winds if isolated and elevated. 
In building rock-work, it matters little what sort of soil is used 
for a foundation: if taken from stony waysides it need not be freed 
from minor cobbles; if from a rubbish heap, decaying vegetable 
matter must be removed, else the ultimate settling of the soil will 
cause trouble. In the construction of small 
rockeries part of the ground tier of stones 
maybe laid and the filling piled high in the 
center, and either tamped or thoroughly 
wet down with the hose before the inside 
stones are placed—both are advisable. 
Careful selection of stones gives varied 
outline; a curved slab of calcareous rock 
is highly valued, as decomposition is so 
far advanced that layers are easily sprung 
and rock-loving fern-roots inserted with 
perfect ease. The photograph of the 
structural foundation of a corner rock- 
garden, shaded by lilac shrubbery, 
draped with the American Woodbine on 
one side and by an eight-foot 
wire screen on the other, with 
a wire frieze across the front, 
both vine-laden, is shown here. 
The larger part of the rock- 
work is composed of an in¬ 
teresting lot of sand-rock 
or pudding-stone, which is 
strongly impregnated with 
lime. Quartz conglomerates 
are in the foreground . As 
this was an especially dry 
corner, after the ground was 
cleared the hose was turned 
on and the water allowed to 
play for hours before any fill¬ 
ing was put in; this in turn was wet down in 
installments which thoroughly settled the 
soil and checked evaporation. The side 
slabs diverge from a beautiful central 
upright, and to insure the right slope the 
earth was piled much higher in the rear. 
Foundation stones were laid under the 
main divisions and cement used in a few 
points. Visible joints were quickly dusted over with coarse sand 
and pebbles inserted. Careful selection and grouping of material 
are necessary, for there is a difference in color, and wave of 
sandstone; an equally lovely stone may look like a new patch on 
an old garment and spoil the beauty of the whole. Room is 
left for massing tall ferns outside the walls. The large pock¬ 
ets are designed for vigorous growers, and this whole formation 
is full of snug retreats. 
The successful culturist observes closely and follows Nature’s 
lead. Failures are often due to deep planting, whereas the crowns 
should be carried above the surface. Another common mis¬ 
take is in selecting plants from deep 
woods for a sunny location on the lawn. 
Many species have so wide a range that 
individual plants may be found growing 
in the same exposure to which they are 
to be subjected in cultivation. 
In rock-gardens variety of foliage is 
often more effective than color; even 
Jack-in-the-Pulpit ( Ariscema triphyllum) 
may preach its gospel of good effect by 
contrast. Violets, white and blue, are 
wonderfully pretty with ferns, either as a 
footnote or shyly peering over the tip of 
the highest rock. A mass of the Foam 
Flower ( Tiarella cordijolia ) is especially 
pleasing. The rock-loving 
Columbine ( Aquilegia Cana¬ 
densis) loses none of its 
beauty if transplanted from 
Nature’s rock-garden to ours. 
But the ideal accessory of 
ferns in rock-gardens is the 
Bluebell, Harebell or Bell¬ 
flower ( Campanula roiundi- 
jolia). Like a rare trait in a 
rough character they grace the 
rocks on which they grow. 
Just a foothold and the chance 
to swing and sway in the wind 
are all this flower of the air 
(Continued on page X'.v) 
When there is a definite architectural 
reason for rock-work, the addition of 
the proper growing things makes the 
ideal rock-garden 
A rock-border of trillium along the shady side of 
a house will give you a mass of white bloom 
where it will be fully appreciated 
A formation for an artificial rock-garden, ready for the plants. Use only 
weather-beaten or disintegrating stone 
