HANDBOOKS OF
PRACTICAL GARDENING

« THE BOOK OF
1 ROCK & WATER
GARDENS

CHARLES THONGER.

HANDBOOKS OF PRACTICAL GARDENING
EDITED BY HARRY ROBERTS

THE BOOK OF ROCK
AND WATER GARDENS

WATK.K I II. IK-

THE BOOK OF ROCK

AND

WATER GARDENS

CHARLES THONGER

AUTHOR Of " THE BOOK OF GARDEN FURNITURE "
"THE BOOK OF GARDEN DESIGN," ETC.

"As for our love of gardens, it is the
last refuge of art in the minds and souls
of many Englishmen ; if we did not care
for gardens, I hardly know what in the
way of beauty we should care for." —
CoMPAN)ON5 DV VY SOLITUDE

LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD
NEW YORK : JOHN LANE COMPANY ? ?

Tumbull & Sptar^ Printers^ Edinburgh

PREFACE

THIS book is written for those who love the flowers of
mountain and stream, of Alpine pasture and reed-fringed
pool ; for those who gladly welcome into their gardens a
class of plants whose beauty and charm is not surpassed
by any other. It is also written with the hope that it
may arouse interest in those who have no knowledge of
rock and water plants, and yet have facilities for growing
them. And especially is it offered to the many whose
dull and ugly " rockeries " might so easily be transformed
into "rock gardens" — a different thing altogether.

Let none regard the subject of water gardening as one
having direct interest for only a favoured few. Seeing
that aquatics may be grown under purely artificial
conditions, the pleasure of a water garden is not limited
to the possessors of natural streams and ponds.

In these days of stress and hurry we seek in Nature a
balm for many ills ; in our gardens, and in all that pertains
to them, we may find welcome rest and relaxation.

C. T.

WOODBRIDGI, SUFFOLK.

"271868

CONTENTS

PAGE

PREFACE ....... v

CHAP.

I ROCK AND ALPINE GARDENS i

II. ROCK GARDEN CONSTRUCTION .... 9

III. THE GARDEN OF ALPINES . . . . .18

IV. THE ROCK GARDEN IN SPRING . . . .17
V. ROCK GARDEN PLANTS ..... 34

VI. ROCK SHRUBS ...... 45

VII. WILD WATER MARGINS ..... 51

VIII. SMALL WATER GARDENS . . . . .61

IX. BOG AND MARSH GARDENS . .... 68

X. LILT TANKS ...... 77

XI. WATER-LILIES ...... 8i

XII. AQUATICS AND BOG PLANTS .... 90

INDEX ....... 93

vii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

WATER-LILIES ...... Frontispiete

ROUGH STEPS WITH SMALL PLANTS IN CREVICES . To face page 4

(Photo by Mrs Delves Broughton}

FRONT GARDEN, BRANTWOOD, SOUTHPORT . ,,6

FRONT GARDEN, BRANTWOOD (ANOTHER VIEW) . „ 8

THE EDELWEISS ..... ,, 10

PHLOX SUBULATA NELSONI . . . . ,, n
(At Messrs Barr's Nurseries)

LlTHOSPERMUM GRAMINIFOLIUM .... " »4
(At the Craven Nursery, Clapham, Lancaster)

ROCK GARDEN, LOWTHER CASTLE . . . ,, 16

ROCK GARDEN, LOWTHER CASTLE (ANOTHER VIEW) . ,, 18

WILD GARDEN, AUDERLT HALL . . . ,,20

A GROUP OF DWARF IRISES .... », "
(Photo by Charles Thonger)

A ROCK BORDER ..... ,,24
(Photo by Mrs Delves Broughton)

ANEMONE APPENINA ..... ,, z6
(At Messrs Keltvay's Nursery, Langf>ort}

ix

x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

SILVER SAXIFRAGES ..... To face page 28
(At the Craven Nursery, Clap ham, Lancaster)

TUNICA SAXIFRAGA . . . . . ,, 32

(At the Craven Nursery, Clapham, Lancaster)

AURICULAS ON ROCKERY . . . . »> 34

(Photo by Charles Jones)

ROCK GARDEN WITH GRASS APPROACH . . . ,,36

(Photo by F. Mason Good)

ROCKY BANK WITH HYACINTHS . . . . ,, 38

PRIMULA DENTICULATA ALBA . . . . ,, 42

NATURE'S WATER GARDEN . . . . .,52

(Photo by Mrs Delves Brou^hton)

STREAM AND ROCKERY IN MESSRS BARK'S NURSERIES . ,,56

A GARDEN POOL ..... ,,62

(Photo by F. Mason GW)

WATER GARDEN, LOWTHER CASTLE . . . ,,68

ARUMS BY A LAKE-SIDE IN CORNWALL . . . ,,74

(Photo byS. W. Fitzherbert)

POND WITH WATER-LIUES, LOWTHER CASTLE . . ,, 8z

IRIS KAEMPFERI . . . . . ,,90

(At Messrs Kelvuay's Nursery, Langport)

THE BOOK OF ROCK
AND WATER GARDENS

THE
BOOK OF ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

CHAPTER I

ROCK AND ALPINE GARDENS

BETWEEN the rock garden and the "rockery" there is a
vast difference. The latter is a thing which no good
gardener will tolerate, contravening as it does all ideas
of common sense, good taste, and artistic perception.
It is hard to preserve a spirit of tolerance towards
the uncouth excrescences which distort and mar the
appearance of many gardens, inflicting as they do upon
the gracious earth and cool sward the semblance of some
horrible disease. Ugly and ridiculous in itself, and
ill-adapted to the growth of plants, the average " rockery"
is an eyesore. It is rarely productive of any pleasure or
satisfaction, even to a mind least exacting. More often
than not, it is made in some tree shaded corner, where
sun and air, the very essentials to the happiness of rock
plants, never penetrate. A few stunted ferns share with
a tangle of dusty ivy the melancholy duty of partly
screening an ill-considered heap of stones and vitrified
brick rubbish.

And yet the possession of a few cart-loads of builder's
refuse, clinkers, broken pottery, shells and fragments of
statuary, immediately seem to suggest an opportunity
for " rockery " making. Small wonder that such spots
display nothing of the true charm of a garden, or that
they soon come to be regarded as so much waste ground.
A '

a. ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

As its name suggests, the "rockery" is a collection of
rock fragments and odd pieces of stone, among which a
few plants have either been planted or become established.

The rock garden is quite different. It is a definite
piecing together of natural rock and stone, and is so
formed that it shall offer ideal conditions for the growing
of Alpines and such plants as occur naturally on mountain
sides and at high elevation. In the rock garden the first
thought is for the plants that will occupy it : in the
" rockery "the disposal of so many loads of debris is the
usual aim in view.

A rock garden may occupy practically any area of
ground, but the idea that the term can only be applied
justly to large and important places is certainly erroneous.
It is possible to make a charming home for Alpines which
will cover only a few square yards of earth, and if the
plants and not the stones are the reason for its existence,
it will be a garden, and surely one of beauty.

It has seemed to me important thus to emphasise the
distinction between the rock garden and the "rockery."
For one thing it will help to make more clear sugges-
tions following ; for another, the condemnation of the
"rockery "opens out new possibilities to those whose
knowledge of Alpine plants is somewhat limited. And,
too, it is surely worth while taking pains to understand
the needs of the many exquisite families of miniature
flowers which deck the mountain slopes, and spring
from ledge and crevice, colouring the grey solitudes with
wondrous beauty.

In all good gardening it is necessary to have a clear idea
at the outset what we mean to do. There is too much
blind groping after effect, too much carelessness, and the
vague supposition that everything will come right in the
end. We defy Nature at every turn, and then look to
her to conceal and beautify our thoughtless efforts. It
is true that garden-making never is and never can be

ROCK AND ALPINE GARDENS 3

anything but artificial, and in the designing of rock- work
we are making but a feeble imitation of the great forces
of Nature. And yet we must certainly study natural
effects and natural laws if we are to achieve any measure
of success in the growing of Alpine flowers.

An entirely erroneous idea exists that the plants usually
found on high mountains cannot be grown successfully in
lowland gardens. It is not so much the altitude that suits
these miniature flowers, but rather the absence of plants
of robust habit and coarse growth. There are no trees
or shrubs on these wind-swept wastes, no succulent leaf-
age, none of those plants which on the plains quickly
smother their smaller neighbours out of existence. And
so we find an altogether smaller race of plants has taken
possession of the barren slopes, secure from molestation,
and unmindful of the struggle for existence in which they
are always worsted. Here there is ample space for all,
sheltered crannies in which Silene and diminutive mosses
find a home ; sunny corners where the roots of the Alpine
Poppy can secure a foothold. Cutting winds and the
rigours of winter are hardly felt by these true children of
the wilderness, for whose safety the smallest crevice will
suffice, and for whose warmth there is a mantle of snow.

Thus a simple lesson is brought home to us. The
rock garden is no place for overcrowding, or for the
indiscriminate mixing of plants, large and small. Each
plant should be carefully tended, and not left to battle
for existence with others of stronger habit. Nine rock
gardens out of ten are hopelessly overgrown, not so
much from the inclusion of too many varieties, but as a
result of undue prominence being given to Aubretias,
Arabis, and kindred plants. This does not imply that
only the smallest flowers should be grown ; that would be
carrying natural conditions to extreme. The rock garden
may contain representatives of most of the Alpine families,
from the tiny Androsace, which clings to the rock face

4 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

among the snows, to the Gentians and Harebells which
stud the mountain meadows far beneath. But the plants
must be grown in colonies, the strong with the strong,
the weak with the weak. It is a frequent lament that
the smallest rock plants are constantly lost, and to prevent
this the rock garden is dotted with unsightly pegs.
Seldom it is that unsuitable soil or aspect is the reason
for the annual dwindling away of choice seedlings, but
very often may the cause be traced to the encroachment
of other plants. This crowding-out process may not be
visible to the eye — to all appearance the plant is quite
isolated. But below the surface, other roots are absorb-
ing all the nourishment ; not infrequently the fibres from
some neighbouring tree or bush are allowed free access
to the best soil in the rock garden. Root restriction in
the case of large plants is just as needful as sufficient
"elbow room" for the smaller.

Most Alpine and rock plants require great depth of
soil, a fact which will, perhaps, come as a surprise
to many. The professional builders of certain rock
gardens entirely overlook this point. Their work is
finished when they have reared their cumbersome earth-
banks and transported some tons of stone or cement to
form miniature precipices, crags, and jagged cliffs. The
gardener must attend to the work of planting, and a
hopeless task he often finds it.

Having no knowledge of the ways of rock plants, no
provision has been made for rooting, and the stone ledges
are covered with but a few inches of soil. A cup-shaped
depression in the surface of a boulder is filled with a
pinch of earth, and in this miserable dwelling any small
Alpine is considered to be perfectly at home. All this
comes of an entire ignorance as to how mountain flowers
in their natural haunts live and have their being. Take
the case of the tiny Stonecrops, which in the high Alps
may be found clinging to the edges of almost perpen-

PEPS WITH SMALL PLANTS IN CREVICE:
Photo, by Mrs. Delves Brotighton

ROCK AND ALPINE GARDENS 5

dicular rock faces. To outward appearance they must
exist on such food and moisture as can be obtained from
the atmosphere. Yet if we break away pieces of the
shaly rock, we shall find small white rootlets thrusting
themselves into minute crevices through which a drop
of water could hardly percolate. Were it possible to
extract one of these roots whole, we should probably find
that it was some feet in length. So that even in these
barren regions, the forces of Nature have been, and are,
slowly disintegrating huge rocks, grinding them down
into particles from which a plant, but an inch high, may
draw life and sustenance.

This simple fact should be of most practical assistance
to growers of small plants in rock gardens. In itself it
explains why, without apparent reason, small Alpines are
constantly dying. That they should have been starved
for lack of necessary plant food is the last thought to
occur ; Alpines are credited with extraordinary powers of
endurance. Rich soil they certainly do not need ; under
natural conditions the roots are found in that of the poorest
quality, a mixture of sand, coarse grit, and earthy particles.
But even in the most unlikely places where Alpines are
found, there is soil of some description, and if at any
reasonable depth the roots will find it. Otherwise plant
life, except of the most restricted nature, would not be
found. Unless the designer understands and appreciates
the conditions under which rock plants occur, he cannot
hope to make a garden home in which these transplanted
wildings will flourish and multiply.

In the placing of stones forming the rock garden,
valuable lessons may be gained from a study of Nature.
Not that we want to imitate natural features or erect a
miniature Alps in a small garden, but because Nature's
arrangement of rocks is nearly always best suited to the
growth of plants. If we notice a particularly vigorous
outgrowth of vivid mosses, small plants and ferns,

6 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

jewelling the fissures of a rugged scarp, we shall nearly
always find that the rock face is neither perpendicular
nor recessed, but that it slopes backward. The advan-
tage of this to the plant is obvious. The full exposure
to sun and air, and the certainty with which after every
shower the rain trickles into the crevices, accounts easily
for the increased vegetation. Not so when the rocks
overhang. Here there are dark gloomy hollows, which
the sun's rays never pierce ; the earth in the fissures is
dry and powdery, and in such places a flowering plant is
a rarity. A tattered curtain of dark ivy may veil the
naked rock, or on a porous limestone green vegetable
growths will spread like stains, but of brightness and
beauty there is none.

Yet in spite of this it is a common thing in rock
gardens to see the stones set perpendicularly in the
earth, or worse still in such a way that they form a sort
of roof to the plants beneath. In the case of elaborate
designs in which natural stone is simulated by cement-
work, the inclusion of a number of overhanging pin-
nacles and awkward masses of stone balanced so that
they appear in danger of falling, seems to be an insepar-
able feature. Under the idea that Alpines are delicate
and need shelter, they are pushed under these rock
ledges, quite unmindful of the fact that the soil in such
places is as dry as dust, and that they are practically
sunless.

An ill-considered site frequently militates against the
successful culture of rock plants and Alpines. More
often than not, a passage between high earth banks is
considered to offer ideal natural advantages for the
laying out of a rock garden. A moment's reflection
should serve to convince us that mountain plants would
be far more at home on ground that is well elevated.
Half the rock gardens in the country have been made in
cup-shaped hollows and deep cuttings. Hot and airless

ROCK AND ALPINE GARDENS 7

in summer, damp and sunless in winter, these piaces
offer the worst possible opportunities for a race of plants
which is accustomed to the fullest exposure. In these
misplaced rock gardens we find a sad lack of variety ;
the smallest and most interesting plants gradually dis-
appear, and a dense growth of robust trailers covers the
earth spaces. Besides, if advantage were taken of
mounds and natural ridges, much labour and expense
would be saved, at any rate in districts where there are
rocks and mossy boulders cropping out of the earth.

On high ground where the surface soil has been
washed away by rains, a minimum of labour will ensure
a beautiful rock garden. After all, it is for those who
live in favoured localities to make the best use of their
advantages ; certainly there is less excuse, in their case,
for bad or thoughtless work.

The extreme hardiness of most Alpine plants is often
overlooked. The smaller and rarer the flower, the less
necessity for " coddling." It commonly happens that a
pocket of rich, loamy soil in a sheltered corner, is
regarded as a suitable spot in which to establish some
choice seedling : " It will give the plant a chance ' to
settle ' comfortably." But as a matter of fact the seed-
ling nearly always dies. If the same plant had been
given a fully exposed position in poor gravelly soil,
interspersed with small stones, it would probably have
survived and thriven. It is astonishing the numbers of
Alpines which are perfectly at home along the edges of
rough paths, between stones, and in the joints of rude
steps. The roots twist among broken stones and push
their way through the coarse grit, always finding
abundant moisture ; surface evaporation being far less
under these circumstances than in borders of good soil.
Many small plants thrive best when their roots are in
dry quarters during the winter : in the chinks of an old
wall or in a rock fissure, they escape altogether the

8 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

superabundant moisture of the earth. Although water,
either in the shape of a small stream or still pool, often
occurs in beautiful rock gardens, it should never be
found in places where Alpines are exclusively grown.
A lonely tarn may be found on the mountain side, or a
tiny spring gush from the rocks, tracing its way like a
silver thread to the valley below. But these instances
are the exception, not the rule ; and in the small space
of the Alpine garden, water is destructive to the best
effects. In the same way, trees and shrubs, apart from
their propensity for impoverishing the soil, are a decided
anachronism. All signs of bold vegetation disappear as
we ascend the mountain side and approach the home of
Gentian and Edelweiss.

The rock garden should not be situated near highly
cultivated ground, neither should walls or buildings come
into the view. It is best approached from the region of
woodland or shrubbery, and by walks, the margins of
which are left undefined. Occasional mossy boulders,
with a bold grouping of Foxgloves and homely plants, will
prepare the eye for a change, and incidentally heighten
the effect produced.

Perhaps the most beautiful way of all in which to gain
the garden of Alpines would be across a stretch of turf,
through which in places the natural rock appeared. Here
we should have patches and drifts of Gentiana acaulis,
Muscari, Narcissi and Scilla. Fortunate indeed are those
who may attempt something of this kind, happy reminder
of those exquisite gardens of Nature, the upland pastures
of the TyroL

CHAPTER II

ROCK GARDEN CONSTRUCTION

THE actual construction of the rock garden demands
more than ordinary thought and care. So many miser-
able failures are everywhere apparent that we may at
least know what to avoid. From the small clinker built
mounds, hideously studded with shells, which may be
seen in those piteous little gardens of the slums, to the
vast heaps of vitrified rubbish, which in certain public
parks pass for rock gardens, there is a lesson to be learned
from all. If this is the proper way to build a home for
Alpine and rock plants, why is it that in such places the
plants are so unhealthy ? Are there not a thousand
beautiful flowers from the mountains which crave admit-
tance into our rock gardens ? Why, then, the monotony
of these mounds and banks of slag and scoriae, on which
only dusty Ivy and rampant Vinca seem to thrive ? It
is well known that quite half of those who thrust
pieces of stone into the earth, in the belief that they are
building rock gardens, have no knowledge of Alpine
plants and their ways. They dot their earth mounds
with impossible pinnacles and piled up pieces of rock,
placing fantastic effect in the forefront of their endeavour.
When finished, their " rockery" is about as well adapted
as a home for plants as it would be to serve as a break-
water.

The position of the rock garden will necessarily be
determined by special circumstances, but there are certain
rules which hold good in ail cases. In the first place,

io ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

the surroundings should be as informal as possible ; the
intervention of shrubberies, woodland planting and wild
garden preparing the eye, accustomed to beds and shaven
lawns, for a change of scene. Nor should distant views
from the rock garden itself embrace any sections of highly
cultivated ground. The untrammelled wildness of Alpine
flowers, their freedom of growth, and the natural way in
which they spring from the rock fissures, unfits them
for association with plants of staid habit. The proximity
of well-gravelled paths, of mown turf and trim borders,
robs the rock garden of all its significance and charm,
making it appear but an untidy heap of stones overgrown
with straggling vegetation. Isolation, then, should be the
first thought when planning an ideal home for rock plants
and Alpines. The worst positions would be found in the
neighbourhood of walls, buildings and fences, which
evidences of the habitations of man are as far as possible
removed from the wild spirit of the mountain solitudes.
Trees should not be found near the rock garden, not
merely for aesthetic considerations, but because their roots,
far reaching and greedy, will impoverish the soil. Alpines,
and indeed most rock plants, demand the fullest exposure
to sun and air ; the damp, still atmosphere which pre-
vails in tree sheltered spots, is not conducive to their
welfare. Besides, the association of Androsace and
Saxifrage, children of the barren uplands, with trees
and shrubs of our lowland woods, is in itself a fatal
anachronism.

Then, again, it is generally possible by taking advan-
tage of suitable conformation of the ground, to impart
a certain meaning and expression to rockwork, merely
artificial though it be. Thus the side of a sloping earth
bank suggests itself as a not unnatural site for a rock
garden ; in Nature such places frequently exhibit rock
strata, which have become exposed owing to the washing
away of the surface soil by rain and winter snows.

TIIK EDELWEISS

ROCK GARDEN CONSTRUCTION n

Earth ridges, through which weathered rocks thrust
their naked shoulders, as on the cleaves of Dartmoor :
narrow defiles, pierced by the rushing streams of the
smaller Derbyshire dales — these are suggestive examples
of Nature's rock gardens. Nothing looks more pointless
than a circular mound of earth and stones raised on
perfectly level ground, or the thrusting of a bristling
rock promontory across the smooth expanse of a lawn.
As a connecting link between two distinct parts of the
property, the rock garden fulfils an admirable purpose,
and in this case, it matters little whether the way lies
through a sunken passage or across sharply rising ground,
necessitating the use of rough steps cut in the side of the
hill. In such places an entire change of design is
demanded, and the use of rockwork appears perfectly
natural.

"Rockeries " are put up in the most absurd situations —
beneath trees, even encircling the trunks ; against walls
of houses, and in the centre of gravel paths, where they
look as though they had been shot bodily out of a cart.
It is time that we ceased to employ a beautiful race of
plants for association with such contemptible efforts, and
bestowed on the growing of Alpines the same rational
considerations that are deemed necessary for the culture
of vegetables.

When a pathway is cut through a high bank, as is
often necessary in hill gardens, the steep sides may be
prepared for planting by the use of stones to form rough
walling. Many Alpines succeed better on these almost
perpendicular faces than on level ground, and the walls
are so constructed . that they show no trace of mason's
work, but resemble rather the sheer drop of a miniature
cliff. Raised banks between two sections of the garden,
natural knolls and wild craggy ground covered with
furze and heather, suggest themselves as other spots
offering inducements for conversion into rock gardens.

12 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

Where natural rock stratum exists a few inches below
the soil, it will always be better to make the rock garden
by excavation rather than by the addition of fresh stone
work. The practice of employing artificial stone sub-
stitutes, or even carted stone, when already there is
a natural outcropping of rock in the ground, is in-
defensible. In such cases the difference between the
real and the apparent is bound to be strongly marked.

Much of the artificial rockwork now so common in
both public and private gardens is a poor enough
imitation of the real thing. The fault lies not so much
in the material itself, as in the manner in which it is
employed. The ease with which it can be worked, and
its low cost, considering the strength and solidity of its
appearance, has led to a new form of desecration in the
gardens of the wealthy. I have seen an example of this
recently, and can only regret that the owner of that most
precious heritage, an old-fashioned English garden,
should be so misled as to convert a sunken court into an
Alpine peepshow, which might well serve as a sixpenny
attraction at Earl's Court. Until the advent of this
pernicious stone work, nothing could have been more
beautiful than this sunken lawn with its weathered sun
dial, and terraced borders of herbaceous flowers,
completely encircling it like the holiday throng at a
Grecian amphitheatre. In the time of roses one felt that
here indeed pulsed the heart of the English garden.
But now all is changed. The turf and roses are swept
away, the sundial no longer tells the summer hours.
The place is surrounded by an absurd range of beetling
crags and frowning cliffs; the ground is strewn with
tufa boulders. Small paths and rocky steps suggest a
maze, and horresco referens, this "garden" is approached
by rockwork tunnels, in which there is sufficient light to
reveal rows of artificial stalactites !

If natural stone is unobtainable in the neighbourhood,

ROCK GARDEN CONSTRUCTION 13

the use of the artificial substitute is permissible, but
only in moderation. There are men quite capable of
imitating very closely the appearance of simple rock
forms, or indicating the strata lines in larger exposures.
But it must be clearly understood that the employment
of such material is only justified when it enables plants
to be grown to greater advantage ; the thoughtless
plastering of a large area of ground with lumps of
cement is a hindrance rather than encouragement to the
formation of a good Alpine garden. Whilst so many
rock plants will thrive on any well-exposed bank, or
even level ground, the use of stones cannot be regarded
as an absolute necessity. Therefore, unless they are
disposed in the best possible manner, it will be better
to do without them altogether.

When starting the actual work of rock-garden con-
struction, one thought must be kept prominently in
view — the requirements of plant life take precedence
over considerations of the picturesque. For this reason,
it is the gardener, not the builder, who should arrange
the disposition of the rocks. The latter's aims are
fantastic, and he wishes his rockwork to look orna-
mental, even before a single plant has been established.
Before anything, the rock garden is a home for plants,
and the beauty afforded by the stones themselves,
though not inconsiderable, is quite secondary. Granite
and limestone may be deeply interesting to the geologist,
but they are as nothing compared with the direct appeal
of the living plants.

Elevation in rock gardens should always be obtained
by masses of earth, and not by stones piled one above
the other, with soil in the crevices. The foundation
of large banks may consist of brick ends, builders'
rubbish, and any convenient material, but above this
should be soil to the depth of at least two feet.
Too often we see flat rocks laid so as to form a series

i4 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

of ledges ; or pinnacles in which each stone is carefully
balanced on its predecessor, much after the fashion
of a child's erection of wooden bricks. Handfuls of
soil are crammed into any convenient crevice, and in
such unpromising quarters plants are expected to grow.
Naturally, as soon as the roots have pushed their
way through the ball of soil, they are in a barren air-
chamber, and during a dry summer half of them perish.
In the well-built rock garden the soil is rammed firmly
home, and no vacuum exists between adjacent stones.
Rocks which are hollowed out on the under side must
be sunk into loose soil, so that the cavity is completely
filled. Unless the work is made firm in all its stages,
the effect of frost and heavy rain will be to cause soil
subsidence, leaving innumerable air spaces.

At this stage it is helpful to study rocks in their
natural positions. A tract of English moorland offers
a striking object lesson in this respect. On level ground,
smooth rocks, usually of fair size and round in shape,
rise a few inches above the ling and heather. Occasion-
ally we come upon a slight knoll or ridge, from which
a cluster of lichen-stained rocks thrust themselves boldly.
The higher the ground, the more rocks, and vice versd.
The fact is* one which should be remembered in garden-
making of this description. Always use the smooth flat
stones for the lower levels, and be content with quite
a few : higher up the bank the plants will be smaller
and the boulders more conspicuous, whilst quite at the
top tufts of diminutive Saxifrage and Androsace will
cling to the sides of the roughest and most weathered
rocks. This is not an attempt to slavishly imitate
Nature's methods, but it is adopted because in no other
way do the various families of Alpine plants appear
to so great advantage.

Stones should be laid in the earth with their broadest
sides downwards ; the bases should also be sunk in the

ROCK GARDEN CONSTRUCTION 15

soil. The practice of thrusting pointed fragments of
rock into the ground, so that they resemble rows of
jagged teeth, is particularly unfortunate. Lines of natural
stratification should be simulated where possible, as this
produces a more restful and coherent effect than aimless
dotting.

If the stones are of small size, and the rock garden
slopes abruptly, it will be necessary to build an occa-
sional course of dry-walling, otherwise the earth will
slip forward after heavy rain. The walling must be
built very carefully, as it is important that all trace
of builder's work shall be concealed. Choosing the
largest stones available, a single course should be laid
somewhere about the ground level. The earth must be
well rammed, and the spaces between adjacent stones
filled with soil. A thick layer of soil is now placed
above the stones, in the same way that mortar is spread
between lines of bricks. A second course of stones
is now put into position, no idea of uniformity in size
being entertained. The dry-walling is carried up as far
as necessary ; in the case of almost perpendicular slopes,
it will be convenient to make a series of ledges, as
these permit of freer planting, and serve to break the
monotony.

When setting the stones, it is desirable that each
should be placed so that it tilts slightly backwards, in
other words, the front faces are not perpendicular. Not
only does this serve to strengthen the wall, but the rain,
collecting in tiny runnels, soaks into the earth crevices
and refreshes the plants. This rule holds good as
regards the disposition of all stones and rocks in the
Alpine garden. Shelter is not needed for the majority
of such plants, and the "penthouse" method of placing
rocks, simply produces dry pockets of soil, in which
plants struggle vainly for existence.

These sections of dry-walling, which are necessary in

1 6 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

nearly all rock gardens formed on banks, require to be
closely planted. The joints and seams between the
stones should be completely hidden by Saxifrages,
Ferns, Alpine Primulas and various Sedums. Then if
the stones have been laid so that they simulate the lines
of natural strata, the idea of a wall will give place to a
solid, unbroken rock face, in the fissures of which various
small plants have established themselves. When build-
ing, it is convenient to lay a wooden spline vertically
against the front face of the rock wall from time to
time : it will then be easy to ascertain if the centre
stones are in a line with the rest, or are too much
advanced. The latter is a serious error in rock build-
ing, as sooner or later it leads to the bursting outward
of the whole structure and the loss of many valuable
plants.

Apart from considerations of economy, local stone
should always be used, as being most likely to harmon-
ise with the character of the surrounding vegetation.
Sandstone blocks are extremely useful, this material
having the additional advantage of weathering to a
picturesque shade. Limestone is also good ; but slaty,
crumbling material is of little value, as it soon succumbs
to the disintegrating influence of the atmosphere. On
no account should gnarled tree roots, broken stumps or
woodwork of any description be included in the rock
garden, a restriction which, needless to say, includes all
such anachronisms as fragments of pottery, and general
debris from the stone mason's yard.

The paths in the rock garden should be of the simplest
description. They need never be of greater width than
will permit of two persons walking abreast, whilst the
smaller back paths should be capable of admitting but
one. A good effect will be obtained by sinking irregular
stone slabs at intervals, much in the way that the native
rock appears along the foot-worn track on mountain side

ROCK GARDEN CONSTRUCTION 17

or cliff path. Flat stones by the path edge, with an
occasional rock jutting out from the garden slopes, will
help to disperse any appearance of formality. Coarse
grey gravel and small stones will form the best surface,
and provide a dry, clean footway in all weathers. There
are many small plants which establish themselves readily
among the edging stones and at the sides of the slabs in
the pathway itself. Such are the Woodsias, Asplenium
and other Alpine ferns, the creeping Sandwort (Arenaria)
and the little violet-flowered Wall Erinus (E. Alpinus).
Herein lies the beauty of the rock garden, for even as we
walk there are flowers crowding the pathway ; space is
never wasted, there is always some tiny plant willing to
occupy the smallest crevice.

Rough steps connecting the different levels add much
to the picturesque appearance of larger rock gardens.
They should be quite informal, and if carefully made
will look as though they had been roughly hewn out of
the living rock. A long narrow stone slab should be
fitted to the front edge of each step, or if this cannot be
managed, two or even three smaller pieces connected by
sunken cement joints. The cement will afterwards be
concealed by small plants and mosses, which may be
naturalised by the scattering of a few seeds in a pinch of
soil. It is not necessary to pave the tread of the steps,
but a few pieces of flat stone may be inserted here and
there. For the rest, they may be made firm and level
with earth and coarse gravel. In a short time the plants
bordering the steps will throw out creeping stolons,
draping the sides ; dwarf Campanulas will thrive in the
joints, and in the corners, safe from the foot of the
careless, Rockfoils and Stonecrops will thrust forth
their tiny blossoms.

CHAPTER III

THE GARDEN OF ALPINES

IN the true Alpine garden will be found only such plants
as are indigenous to the Alps. The mixed flora of the
rock garden, containing as it does plants from many
different sources, here gives place to that of a definite
character. This does not imply that our choice is unduly
restricted, or that Alpine gardens must be of necessity
monotonous. Only in the very largest places could
anything like the full number of available plants be
included. As for variety, it is endless — evergreen
shrubs, exquisite miniatures of lowland kinds, brilliant
mosses, lilies, dwarf trailing plants, orchids and ferns, to
mention but a few of the types of Alpine plant life which
are perfectly at home in English gardens. To know
this charming race of plants is to wish their further
acquaintance, and when once they have been seen in
their native haunts, the desire to grow at least a few of
them is inevitable.

Unfortunately, though there are many large and im-
portant collections of Alpines, there are but few Alpine
gardens. We hear of " collections " numbering so many
distinct varieties; one has a plant which another has not;
a difficult kind has been coaxed into flower, in another
garden it has failed altogether. There is something
almost pathetic in the appearance of these Alpine show-
places. Single plants dotted here and there, pegs and
labels, more obtrusive than the flowers themselves,
bell-jars and cover glasses to nurture the weaklings —

18

J

v"

fc*

II

THE GARDEN OF ALPINES 19

the whole place looks like a botanical hospital. No
general effect is attempted ; of unity and purpose there
is no sign. When the true ideal of the garden is con-
sidered, how puny and pitiful this becomes. With these
same materials, or half of them, beautiful pictures might
be evolved. Brave masses of colour, stones and rocks
matted with jewelled mosses, drifts of snowy Saxifrage,
carpets of azure Gentian, a gleam of silver and gold
from clumps of Alpine Ranunculus, the deep green of
fern and the cobweb grey of Edelweiss.

The Alpine garden should be situated on the highest
ground available, in fact the more exposed the site the
better. The summit of a rocky knoll, or the sides of an
earth ridge will generally ensure abundant sunshine for
the plants. But little rockwork is needed : in Devonshire,
Cornwall and other places where the geological formation
tends to produce natural rock features, no artificial work
should be attempted. In other districts, quite a large
garden may be laid out with the aid of a few cart-loads
of rough boulders, but small stones should be mixed
with the soil in order to secure free drainage and retain
moisture. Alpines, being of small, compact habit,
demand restrained treatment in their surroundings.
Besides, the use of comparatively few stones permits of
larger grouping and bolder masses of colour in the earth
spaces, than would be possible if a few chinks and corners
among piled up rocks were the only positions available
for the plants. So many Alpine gardens are all rocks and
no flowers ; the former thrust themselves on our notice,
for the latter we must search.

A common cause of failure in the cultivation of Alpines,
is the unsuitable character of the soil to the varieties
chosen. Few classes of plants are more exacting in this
respect. It is true that certain kinds will accommodate
themselves to varying conditions, and make a brave show
even under adverse circumstance. But it is never wise

20 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

to depend too much upon suspected adaptability : not
infrequently it fails altogether. The geological formation
of the Alps includes certain well-defined classes of soil,
with a flora peculiar to each. On limestone soils the
beautiful Pasque-flower (Anemone Pulsatilla) is invariably
content, its violet flowers scattered over the grassy hill-
sides in early spring ; on ordinary garden loam it
frequently fails altogether. Rhododendron Chamaecistus,
though strictly speaking a native of the Tyrol, is another
chalk-loving plant, whereas R. ferrugineum prefers a
granite soil. Among the large family of Alpine Gentians,
such varieties as angustifolia and Clusii are always best
on limestone, whilst on the granite soil their place is
taken by Pyrenaica and Kochiana.

Having regard therefore to the welfare of plants in the
Alpine garden, care should be taken to make the choice
of varieties entirely subservient to the class of soil with
which we are dealing.

Except in very large gardens it is really unnecessary
to provide special soil, that is supposing that a garden
picture and not a botanical collection is the object in view.
There are sufficient plants peculiar cither to the granitic
or calcareous formation for us to make a garden of either.
The gardener who grows plants for their beauty and not
for their rarity realises that he can do better by keeping
to varieties that suit his soil, than by adapting the soil to
accommodate unwilling aliens.

In a garden of any size an endeavour should certainly
be made to provide an ideal home by means of grassy
banks or an approach of fine turf for some of the
beautiful flowers of the Alpine meadows. Naturalised
in this way they will appear to greater advantage and
flower more profusely than in the bare earth spaces among
the rocks. In close grass Anemone Pulsatilla is at its
best, and in the same place the lovely Alpine Primula
(P. Auricula), quite distinct from the florist's varieties,

THE GARDEN OF ALPINES 21

may find a home. The Glacier Pink (D. neglectus),
with its tufts of grass-like foliage and clusters of rosy
flowers, is another good plant for naturalising. From the
pasture lands of the Austrian Alps comes a charming
Harebell, (C. pulla), a true gem for the grass. Among
the Gentians is the May-flowering kind (Alpina) and the
larger Willow Gentian (G. asclepiadea), the latter, how-
ever, more suited to positions among coarse grass than in
the section devoted to the smallest plants. The Vernal
Gentian (G. verna), common on English hillsides as well
as in the Alps, prefers limestone, and is never so happy
as when exposed to the fullest sunshine, in a cool, moist
soil. Where the rocks meet the grass a few patches of
the Alpine Heath (Erica carnea) will mark a change in
the planting : in early spring the rosy flowers are
particularly welcome. Ranunculus aconitifolius, of which
our Fair Maids of France is the double form, is one of
the best Alpines for naturalising, and is especially free
flowering. Finally there are the Alpine violets, which
carpet the mountain meadows with a filmy veil of blue. The
Spurred Violet (V. calcarata) and the little Two-flowered
Yellow Violet (V. biflora), are among the brightest and
best flowers to grow in the grass near the garden of
Alpines. All the above may be naturalised in close turf,
and with occasional division and replanting will continue
to increase in size and beauty every year.

Naturally these small Alpines are not suited to coarse
pasturage or for association with the tall growing grasses
which thrive in waste places. On the poor limestone
soil which best suits them, only the smallest and poorest
grasses will be found. Such kinds as the Sheep's Fescue
(Festuca ovina), with wiry, setaceous leaves will form
an excellent carpet without choking the Alpines out of
existence.

Higher up the mountain sides where the meadow land
gives place to sparse tufts of dry bents and wiry grasses,

22 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

the character of the Alpine plants changes. Here the
children of the highlands and the lowlands meet. As
yet, we are below the line of snow and glacier, conse-
quently the flowers are not yet dwarfed beyond the
limits necessitated by ordinary full exposure.

Blue is a colour particularly appropriate, contrasting
as it does with grey rock faces and the vivid green of
Alpine mosses. The Carpathian Harebell (C.. carpatica)
flowers in July and August, its spreading tufts of large
cup-shaped blossoms filling a good sized recess. Its
relative the Mont Cenis Harebell (C. Cenisia) is much
smaller, with bright rosettes of leaves and blue flowers ;
it should be grown in the highest positions and in the
poorest soil. C. alpina and C. pusilla, the latter best in
a moist gritty loam, produce a charming effect when
planted in quantity. The Windflowers form a pro-
cession of colour throughout the greater part of the
year on the hillsides and meadows of Europe. For our
Alpine garden we may select Anemone alpina, a large
and graceful kind, requiring a deep soil. The creamy
yellow variety sulphurea, though not always easy to
establish, contrasts very favourably with the rich blues
of its relatives. The Common Hepatica (A. Hepatica)
blooms in March, and in sheltered places the foliage is
evergreen. A. apennina, found also in our own wood-
lands, is a delightful little plant. Nearly all the Wind-
flowers like a chalky soil. Erinus alpinus, with violet
flowers produced in racemes, is suited to small rock
chinks and the earth crevices between stones. In a
patch of moist peaty soil, if such exist, we may plant the
Bavarian Gentian (G. bavarica) with flowers of iridescent
blue rising from small tufts of foliage. G. angustifolia,
G. pyrenaica, G. Kochiana, stemless with dark blue
flowers spotted with green, and G. Clusii, are all hardy
perennials, and give those exquisite shades of blue for
which the Gentians are famed.

THE GARDEN OF ALPINES 23

The family of Saxifrages includes many varieties which
are purely Alpine, in fact the genus is probably more
fully represented in the mountain ranges of the Alps
than any other. They are of the simplest culture and
embrace plants of such varied habit, that a beautiful
garden might be made of the Rockfoils alone. The
large leathery-leaved kinds should be grown in the
lower terraces, the silver-hued and green-tufted varieties
in the middle spaces, whilst the tiny moss-like growths
of the smallest of the genus, will cling to the joints and
crevices of the highest rocks.

The Pyramidal Saxifrage (S. Cotyledon) is one of the
largest, and is readily increased by offsets from the
parent plants. Its large silvery leaf rosettes and spikes
of white blossoms contrast vividly with patches of blue
flowers. S. longifolia is even larger, with grey leaves
dotted with white, and large panicles of creamy flowers.
In a crevice among the rocks the huge leaf tufts are
most striking, and providing the roots can penetrate
deeply, it will be quite at home in a perpendicular wall.
The plant seeds freely and the stock may be readily
increased. S. Aizoon is valuable more for its silvery
foliage than for its flowers ; S. lantoscana, in the in-
crusted-leaves section, has a drooping flower spike with
bright clusters of narrow leaves. Of altogether smaller
habit is the tiny S. cassia, which at first sight might be
taken for a small silvery moss clinging to the surface of
weathered boulders. The flowers are white, and the
plant though not always easy to establish, usually thrives
in sandy soil which is not allowed to become dry in
summer. S. Burseriana is one of the most precious

Slants in the whole of the Alpine garden. As early as
anuary the silver foliage is flecked with brown buds,
each carried on a small red stalk. It does best in a well-
drained chalky soil, and soon spreads among the stones.
S. aretioides is so diminutive that special care must be

24 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

taken to prevent other plants from overgrowing it ; the
golden blossoms appear in April above the silver leaf
cushions. A moist sandy soil suits it, and propagation
is effected by seeds or division. Other good Alpine
Saxifrages suitable for various positions are S. diapen-
sioides, media, moschata, bryoides and squarrosa.

In the arrangement of garden pictures, flower masses
must be relieved by the introduction of foliage plants.
Fortunately the Alps are by no means lacking in suitable
flora for this purpose. Many ferns and small native
shrubs are available, and by forming a groundwork
for bright colour masses, enable the composition of
beautiful pictures.

The cool, deep green of the Spleenwort Ferns affords
a happy contrast to the rich blues and dead whites of
Gentian and Saxifrage. Two good kinds are Asplenium
germanicum and A. Selosii. The Shield Ferns (Aspidium),
which include also the Polystichum, are many of them
perfectly hardy, requiring, however, abundant water
during the hot weather. Montanum is a true Swiss
variety. Between low masses of rock, small clumps of
Woodsia look beautiful, especially when the stones are
mantled with Sedums and vivid mosses. A slightly
peaty soil suits them best, and they require plenty of
water. W. hyperborea and W. ilvensis are especially
suitable. In shady corners where the drainage is perfect
the Bladder Ferns (Cystopteris) soon make themselves at
home. C. alpina, one of the smallest, is also one of the
best. Lomaria Spicant and the hardy Cheilanthes are
other precious ferns for the garden of Alpines.

Though none will deny the beauty and diversity of
the plant families which make the Swiss pastures and
lower Alps veritable gardens of Nature, yet the true
charm of Alpine flowers is only felt when we ascend to
the region of ice and snow. Here at last we realise " the
powerful grace that lies in herbs." Dull and unimagina-

A ROCK BOKDF.R
Photo, by Mrs. De/vts Brotighton

THE GARDEN OF ALPINES 25

tive must be the mind that is not moved when amidst the
savagery of Nature, the chaos of rock and dreary waste
of snow, a tiny plant springs forth and bravely fights for
life. In lowland pastures it would fail to arouse a
moment's thought, but here, in the stillness of the
eternal solitudes, its message of life and hope is trumpet
tongued. The thinking mind values flowers no less for
their capacity of arousing emotions, than for their gifts
of colour and form, and I may be pardoned if, in a book
of a practical nature, I claim for the smallest of cultivated
plants, a power which is not equalled by the most
majestic tree or gorgeous exotic. For this reason, a
particular interest attaches to the small mosses and
diminutive plants which in the Alpine garden are afforded
the highest positions.

The smaller varieties of Androsace and Saxifrage,
which thrive in the grit-filled clefts beside mountain
glaciers, often fail altogether in garden soil. It is
ridiculous to speak of such plants as " delicate" Alpines,
or to infer that our climate is unsuited to their needs.
As a matter of fact, the soil in most Alpine gardens is
far too rich, and these plants from the highest regions
die from over-nutrition. The earth chinks should be
filled with the poorest gravel soil, and with full
exposure to sun and free drainage the majority will do
well.

In town gardens Androsaces are difficult to grow, as
their small green leaves soon become coated with soot
and dust. They are diminutive plants of the Primrose
order, and in their native Alps flower directly the snow
has melted. Small fissures in the upper part of the
Alpine garden should be prepared for their reception, a
mixture of gritty loam and sand, with a small proportion
of peat, being packed into the crevices. The plants will
never thrive on shallow ledges ; the roots should strike
downwards for at least a foot. During summer

26 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

drought the small fibres will wrap themselves around
stones and rock fragments, finding abundant moisture in
the cool depths. In the granite regions of the higher
Alps the following Androsaces are found : — A. glacialis,
A. carnea, and A. Vitaliana, the two former rosy, the
latter yellow. Chalk loving kinds are A. chamaejasme,
pink ; A. helvetica, white ; A. pubescens, white with
yellow eye ; and A. villosa, pink.

A group of dwarf Campanulas, comprising C. Allioni,
cenisia and excisa, will swell the list of miniature
plants. C. Allioni forms a close network of succulent
roots, the stemless blue flowers being raised on small
rosettes of leaves. It is found on granite soil. C.
cenisia (Mont Cenis Harebell) is another free rooting
kind, with blue flowers and bright leaf rosettes. These
Campanulas do well on perpendicular rock faces,
clothing the joints with exquisite flower and leaf
clusters.

A tiny Saxifrage, S. caesia, almost like a silvery moss,
is another native of the high Alps. It requires a sandy
soil, and must not be allowed to suffer from dryness
during the summer. The Cobweb Houseleeks
(Sempervivum) demand full exposure to sun ; in flat
spaces among the small Alpines their quaint silver leaf
rosettes and pink flowers are very distinct. To
combine with these there are many other families of
plants, the Primulas and Gentians, Artemisia and
Achillea.

CHAPTER IV

THE ROCK GARDEN IN SPRING

VITH the first breath of spring bright patches of colour
rill fleck the slopes of the rock garden, and with the
ingthening days the flowers from mountain and hill
othe themselves in summer garb. Quite early, though
ic keen winds check all tender vegetation, the
.lyssum and Rock Cresses shake out their banners of
urple and gold. A little later the Cushion Pinks and
lowy Arabis mantle the ledges with rosy blossoms and
iscades of virgin white. Now is the rock garden at
s brightest and best. After the barren greyness of
rinter, when the flowers in garden borders have
:arcely roused themselves from sleep, here is the
ilness of life and colour, the fulfilment of the eternal
romise of spring.

To which class of spring flora are we most indebted
>r the freshness and charm of the rock garden at this
?ason ? Surely our chief cause of thankfulness is to be
)und in the myriad bulbous plants, the Alpine Irises,
ic Fritillaries and Muscari, the Narcissi from mountain
astures, the Snowdrops, Chionodoxa, Snowflakes and
cilia. If rock gardens were formed for these flowers
lone, they would still be worthy of our care, and in
lis chapter only bulbous plants will be considered. It
nil be a good day for English gardens when the
ractice of growing spring bulbs in ornamental lawn
eds is regarded with the same disfavour as parterres
f broken brick or the once-belauded carpet bedding.

28 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

There is no comparison between the stiff lines of
Snowdrops and Crocuses used so frequently as border
edgings, and the same flowers grown in drifts and
colonies among the stones in the rock garden. There is,
too, so much variety among these bulbous plants that
they may be used with certainty of success under almost
any circumstances.

Before the winter snow has disappeared, the narrow
leaf spikes of Iris reticulata begin to show above the
ground. A small colony of these flowers produces a
beautiful effect in the rock garden. There are several
varieties, but none can exceed the gold and violet
splendour of the common Netted Iris. I. r. cyanea is a
dwarf blue form, and purpurea with rich purple flowers
is adapted to warm sheltered corners. Krelagei
blooms much earlier than others of the genus, but
neither the colouring nor the fragrance are so
pronounced as in the type. The Netted Irises are not
particular as to soil, but prefer that of a somewhat
sandy character. Grown in bold clumps, with a ground-
work of small Ferns and Mossy Saxifrages, they are
among the best of early bulbs.

Another good dwarf Iris is the Armenian variety,
I. Bakeriana. It is much like reticulata in colour, but
possesses a distinctive charm in its violet-like scent.
The Iberian Flag (I. iberica) is worth growing if only
for the singular beauty of its flowers ; the contrast
between the purple-veined falls, with their sheen of
gold, and the violet-pencilled standards is very striking.
A warm, well-drained soil is necessary, as the rhi/omes
decay unless they are kept dry during the winter.
When planting, the roots should be surrounded with
sand. Iris cristata (Crested Iris) is a gem for the rock
garden, where it may be grown on sunny ledges with a
carpeting of small-leaved Alpines. It is only a few
inches high, with broad leaves and pale-blue flowers,

THE ROCK GARDEN IN SPRING 29

pencilled with darker markings. In the border, this
exquisite little flag would be lost, but a sunny corner
among the rocks offers a charming alternative to growing
it in pots, where its beauty is shown to but poor
advantage.

Quite the best dwarf Iris for colour effect is I.
pumila, which, owing to the size of its flowers, forms
compact masses of violet or pale blue. It grows about
six inches high, and from the sturdy character of its leaf
growth, smaller plants are not required to hide the soil.
Most of the early flowering bulbs produce but few
leaves, and therefore look best rising from sheets of
dwarf evergreen foliage. This gives a far better effect
than the bare earth ; moreover, in the latter case the
blossoms are liable to be stained during rainy weather.

There are many other Irises for the rock garden, and
it is a never-ending pleasure to experiment with new
kinds, supplying suitable soil and trying the effect of a
few bulbs in sunny corners. In addition to those
already mentioned, Korolkowi, rosy-lilac ; balkana,
claret and white ; and Cengialti, light-blue, should be
remembered.

The Narcissi are another large family of bulbous
plants, and to them we owe an everlasting debt of
gratitude for many precious garden pictures. The
larger kinds should be naturalised in grass, in woodland
vistas, and among choice shrubs, but the smallest and
daintiest varieties are best in the rock garden. Most of
the dwarf Daffodils prefer a slightly peaty soil; all
demand good drainage and sharp sand around the bulbs.
A light top dressing is an incentive to fine bloom, and
the delicate kinds, which are liable to injury from spring
storms, should be afforded the warmest and most
sheltered situations.

The Hooped Petticoat Daffodil (N. Bulbocodium) is
found growing wild in many of the southern European

30 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

countries. It cannot be considered a hardy variety, bi]
is worthy of a good position. There are various form
all having rush-like leaves. Conspicuus, with larg
yellow leaves, is very early, as also is citrinus, the pal
sulphur French kind. The White Hoop Petticoat (>
B. monophyllus) is an exquisite variety from Algerii
N. triandrus (Ganymede's Cup) and its sub-variety albu
(Angel's Tears) are among the daintiest of the race, bi
must be carefully sheltered from high winds. Th
Rush Jonquil (N. juncifolius) is sweetly scented and nc
difficult to establish. Though somewhat expensive,
small clump of the Queen Anne's Jonquil (N. odori
minor) well repays the outlay ; on warm soils the pal
yellow double flowers are very striking. If the roc
garden contains a somewhat moist corner, it would b
worth an effort to grow the Cyclamen Daffodil (N. cych
mineus). The flowers are bright golden, the leaves
vivid green. On peaty soils it would almost certain]
succeed.

Beside the Narcissi with their note of creamy yellov
we may place the Scillas and Muscari, giving us a prc
cession of blues from porcelain to deep indigo. Scilh
are of the simplest culture, and when once establishe
merely require an occasional top dressing. The be;
known and perhaps most beautiful form is the Siberia
Scilla (S. sibirica), with flowers a delicate shade of pai
blue. It is a vigorous kind, and the clumps should t
divided every few years. On a warm, sandy soil
blooms in February. One of the most delightful wa]
of growing this Scilla is to plant bold colonies near th
margins of Alpine shrubs. The sight of the blue drif
of flowers escaping from the shelter of dark foliage, an
in small colonies descending the rock slopes, is a sprin
picture of true charm. Later in the year the Spanis
Scilla (S. hispanica) raises its stout racemes of pendei
bells. It is a vigorous kind, and is suitable for natura

THE ROCK GARDEN IN SPRING 31

ising in grass and on the outer flanks of the rock garden.
The white variety (alba) and rosea, a pink form, are
also good. For association with choice Alpines it is a
trifle too vigorous. S. bifolia, with deep blue flowers,
is the type from which several handsome varieties have
been evolved. S. b. taurica, S. b. praecox, flowering
very early, and S. b. alba, are all worth growing. The
Italian Scilla (S. italica) combines extreme hardiness with
brilliant colouring and sweet perfume; in semi-wild
places we must not forget the improved forms of the
Woodland Bluebell (S. nutans). Deeper shades among
the Scilla blues may be provided by patches of Grape
Hyacinths (Muscari botryoides), which will answer to
the same treatment.

Other blue flowers are the Chionodoxas (Glory of the
Snow), of which C. Luciliae and C. Sardensis are desir-
able. They are at their best after they have had time
to become thoroughly established. The Bulbous Fumi-
tory (Corydalis bulbosa), with purple blossoms produced
in April, may be included in large rock gardens, and in
really warm localities the lovely Chilian bulb Teco-
phylaea cyanocrocus gives us a shade of blue hardly to
be equalled. Finally, there are the Dog's Tooth Violets
(Erythronium), with spotted leaves and single, drooping
flowers. E. Dens-canis, the best known of the family,
thrives in fairly moist sandy soil, but requires a sunny
position. The white, tooth-like bulbs should be planted
deeply, and division every few years will increase the
stock. This variety is of European origin ; others come
to us from America. .E. giganteum and E. grandiflorum
are large, white flowered, and succeed on slightly peaty
soil.

Blue is a colour which in garden pictures calls for
contrast. In the spring rock garden, patches and drifts
of Snowdrops and Leucojum should be associated with
the Scillas and Muscari. There are many varieties of

32 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

Snowdrops, but we need ask nothing better than Galan-
thus Elwesii, with its pure, shapely flowers and bright
spikes of green leaves. In close, retentive soils it is
disappointing, but is perfectly happy in a mixture of
good loam, leaf mould, and sand. Snowdrops should
never be grown in open beds, when such ideal positions
as shrubbery and woodland, close turf and, above all,
the rock garden, are available. The Spring Snowflake
(Leucojum vernum) may be regarded as a large and
handsome form of the common Snowdrop. It grows
well in similar positions, and with the same class of soil.
In a shady corner, with peaty soil, a clump of Wood
Lilies (Trillium) display their pure white three-petalled
blossoms above rich shining leaves.

Other small bulbous plants there are in plenty. The
Cyclamens, europaeum, Atkinsii and Coum ; the Spring
Star-flowers (Triteleia) and Fritillaries, Anomatheca
and the American Cowslip (Dodecatheon).

Several of the smaller varieties of Tulips are com-
monly recommended as suitable for rock garden planting,
such kinds as Greigi, sylvestris and Kaufmanniana
especially. To my mind, however, they never look
well in such positions. Their stiffness and formality ill
accord with the wild freedom of mountain plants, and
their blaze of colour, glorious though it be, blinds us to
the beauty of many a dainty flower and shrub. The
wild Tulips are delightful in woodland clearings,
meadow sides and shrubbery margins, and for the
florist's kinds nothing can exceed the suitability and
charm of old-world Tulip gardens, in the Dutch style, —
a formal arrangement for purely formal flowers. They
even look well in borders, so that it seems unreasonable
that they should occupy valuable space in the rock
garden, which affords a home for many plants that will
not thrive elsewhere.

The same feeling applies to the dwarf Liliums,

THE ROCK GARDEN IN SPRING 33

elegans, tenuifolium and others. These noble flowers
are so much better suited to border grouping, or the
peaty soil among Azaleas and Rhododendrons, that
despite the opinions of others, I never commend them
for the rock garden. Later in the book suggestions are
offered for growing the best varieties of Liliums on the
outskirts of the bog garden, probably the ideal place for
them.

It has seemed best to give some reason for thus
excluding these two prominent families of bulbous
plants ; otherwise the omission might appear unaccount-
able. As it is, few are able to include in their gardens
more than a few of the lovely children of mountain and
moorland, and to them we look for the happiest effects
in the garden of rock plants and Alpines.

CHAPTER V

ROCK GARDEN PLANTS

IN the planting of rock gardens, we must endeavour to
secure by means of careful selection and judicious
grouping, an impression of breadth and boldness in the
colour masses. Nothing is more satisfactory when
contemplating any form of garden art, than the feeling
that the designer has from the beginning worked with the
idea of achieving some definite purpose ; that with a
certain ideal ever before him, labour and thought have
been systematically devoted to the fulfilment of such
purpose. This is especially so in the case of rock
gardens, which are often planted without any con-
sideration as to their appearance when completed. New
plants are obtained from time to time, and as they are
received are set in any positions available, regardless
of their suitability or otherwise for association with
those already established. Bare places must be filled,
but that is no reason why the first seedlings that come to
hand should be thrust into them, with the mere object
of hiding the soil. Beautiful garden pictures are only
possible when each small plant is made to play its part
in the building up of a definite scheme, constituting
either by its colour, habit or contrasting value, to the
improvement and completion of the whole. Too often
the rock garden is but a thoughtless jumble of scattered
units, of materials which in careful hands would amply
suffice to ensure a really satisfactory ensemble.

There are hundreds of plants suitable for rock

34

ROCK GARDEN PLANTS 35

gardens, but only such as are really desirable should
be included. The mere fact of rarity should not
influence selection : the commonest and easiest grown
flowers are often the most beautiful. Nor should too
many varieties be grown. It is better to plant two or
three representatives of a family in bold groups, than
to obtain perhaps four times the number of different
species, with but a single plant of each. Hybrids and
sub-varieties are often but inferior reproductions of
their types, and it is to be regretted that nurserymen
should lavish extravagant praise on high priced novelties,
ignoring old established favourites because they happen
to be both cheap and plentiful.

However, variety must not be sacrificed to an undue
spirit of conservatism. There are certain plants which
are perfectly easy to grow, and at the same time give
beautiful effects. The temptation to overcrowd the
garden with these hardy, free-flowering subjects, which
make a lavish display in return for a minimum of trouble,
is only too prevalent. In this way less adaptable plants
are excluded, and a certain sameness and lack of interest
ensues in the rock garden picture.

For rapidly establishing themselves in cushion-like
tufts and mantling the edges of the larger stones, the
Rock Cresses (Aubrietia) are unequalled. They will
grow in almost any soil, and may be increased by seeds
or division. A. purpurea and A. deltoidea are the
oldest of the group and have long been favourites in
English gardens : A. groeca, lilac-purple, and A. Camp-
belli, deep violet-blue, give lighter shades among the
purples. Near these, a sheet of snowy Arabis would
afford a brilliant contrast, and to complete the picture
we would arrange a cluster of golden Alyssum. These
three families of rock plants, all perfectly hardy, provide
materials for creating one of those bold colour effects,
which are often more welcome than subtle harmonies.

36 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

Another good grouping would consist of Iberis semper-
virens and the yellow Alpine Wallflower (Cheiranthus
alpinus). This combination is particularly beautiful on
an almost perpendicular rock face, the deep green and
white curtain of Candytuft falling among the golden
Wallflowers, which thrive exceedingly in the earth
fissures of rock walling. An exquisite picture is
achieved by a few plants of Lithospermum prostratum
(Cromwell), and a cluster of the Pyramidal Saxifrage
(S. Cotyledon). Given a large boulder, rising from
an earth ledge, we may plant the former so that it falls,
a cascade of gentian blue, into the lap of the silver-
leaved Rockfoils. In addition to the beauty of blue and
silver, tall pyramids of white Saxifrage flowers will rise
in graceful clusters before a curtain of azure.

Between scattered clumps of the Blue Winter Wind-
flower (A. blanda), drifts of Snowdrops may wander
freely ; a carpet of the white and silver Saxifraga cassia
gives an added beauty to the rosy tufts of the Glacier
Pink (D. neglectus). Saponaria ocymoides forms with
the Creeping Sandwort (Arenaria) a mist of pink and
white over rock ledges and grey stones ; the graceful
flower sprays of Maiden's Wreath (Francoa) are seen to
greatest advantage when backed by the rich green foliage
of Alpine Rhododendrons and other shrubs.

It would be easy to suggest further combinations,
either for form or colour, but the value of garden
books lies more in suggestion than in the laying down
of fixed rules. A garden heedlessly planted can never
be really beautiful ; good pictures require something
more than the mere covering of a canvas with splashes
of paint. The grouping of plants, so that each individual
is of some benefit to its neighbour, is a pleasant task,
and calls forth the best instincts of the lover of Nature.

Rock plants are so numerous that only the best of the
different families can be mentioned. These will suffice

ROCK GARDEN PLANTS 37

for a garden of moderate dimensions ; in one of large
size it would be better to adopt bolder grouping with
the same plants, rather than make additional space an
excuse for the inclusion of inferior kinds.

ROCK GARDEN PLANTS

Acxna. Dwarf plants for carpeting. Only the New
Zealand variety (A. microphylla) should be grown, and
that for the sake of its crimson spines.

Achlllea. The best of the rock garden kinds are
umbellata, with silver foliage and white flowers, and
tomentosa, bright yellow. A fairly dry soil suits
them best.

Adonis. Pheasant's Eye. A very precious plant. A.
vernalis(Ox-Eye), forms dense clumps of fern-like foliage,
from which rise large yellow flowers. It blooms in spring,
and is suited to a good loamy soil. Division or seeds.

JEthionema. An Alpine sub-shrub. A. grandiflorum,
forms dense spreading masses of foliage, covered with
stout racemes of rosy flowers. Owing to its prostrate
habit it is useful for mantling the edges of rocks. Well
drained loam. Seeds. This is quite one of the loveliest
of Alpine plants.

Alyssum. Madwort. A charming spring flower,
rejoicing in the fullest exposure. A. saxatile (Gold
Dust) with its brilliant corymbs, blooms in autumn
as well as spring.

Androsace. Described elsewhere. The best kinds
are : A. carnea, glacialis, and helvetica.

Anemone. Wind-flower. A. apennina, A. blanda,
A. Pulsatilla. See chapters on Bulbous Plants and
Alpines.

Antennaria. Cat's Ear. Dwarf plants, of which A.
tomentosa forms a silver carpet of foliage. A. dioica,
with pink flowers, is worth growing. Simple culture.

38 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

Anthemis. Rock Camomile. A. Aizoon forms pretty
tufts, with daisy-like flowers.

Anthericum. St Bruno's Lily. The lily of the Alpine
pastures. A deep, sandy soil suits it, and the roots
may be divided in autumn. A carpeting of Saxifrages
or other dwarf plants look charming as a groundwork
for a clump of St Bruno's Lily. A. Liliastrum.

Arabis. Rock Cress. Well known and invaluable.
A. albida (White Rock Cress) and rosea a deep pink
form, should be grown. Succeeds in any soil.

Arenaria. Sandwort. Beautiful plants, with compact
masses of foliage, and myriad blossoms. A. balearica
(Creeping Sandwort) and the Mountain kind ( A.montana),
should be in every rock garden. Seed or division.

Armeria. Thrift. Dense tufts of grass-like foliage,
with rosy flowers. A. cephalotes (Great Thrift), and
A. caespitosa (Tufted Thrift) are suitable for association
with tall and dwarf plants respectively. Poor sandy soil.
Seed.

Aubrietla. Purple Rock Cress. Though common rock
plants, they are of the utmost value. A. deltoidea and
A. groeca are among the best. Any poor gritty soil
will grow Aubrietias, and they are readily increased,
either by seeding or division.

Bulbocodhim. Spring Meadow Saffron. Among the
spring flowers in the rock garden, the deep, rosy flowers
of B. vernum are very beautiful. Warm, sandy soil.
Division of the bulbs.

Campanula. Harebell. One of the most beautiful
families for the rock garden, The Carpathian Harebell
(C. carpatica) bears light-blue flowers at midsummer :
C. ccespitosa (Tufted Harebell) is excellent for rock
steps and the edges of stone flags : the American Hare-
bell (C. pulla), a lovely kind, does best in slight peat
and sand. Other good varieties are cenisia and garganica,
the latter suited to rock ledges, over which its pale-blue

ROCK GARDEN PLANTS 39

flower racemes hang in great profusion. Campanulas
are so charming that in their case we cannot well have
too many species.

Cerastium. Mouse-ear Chickweed. Dwarf, silver-
leaved Alpines, bearing numerous white flowers from
May to July. The variety Biebersteini is easily grown
and is one of the best.

Cheiranthus. Wallflower. For rock garden grouping,
the bright orange variety Marshall! is the finest. The
Alpine Wallflower (C. alpinus, syn. Erysimum ochro-
leucum) is valuable for the joints of rock walling. The
perennial Wallflowers thrive in poor soil and a dry
position in winter. Cuttings.

Colchicum. Meadow Saffron. Drifts of the rosy
flowered C. autumnale look exquisite in the grassy
approaches to the rock garden. The leaves die down
before the blossoms appear, hence the necessity for a
carpeting of grass or dwarf Alpines. They are easily
grown, increase freely and brighten the garden at a time
when flowers are scarce.

Coronilla. Scorpion Senna. Though little grown, this
is a desirable plant. C. iberica forms dense tufts of
trailing foliage, which in June become studded with
vivid yellow blossoms. C. varia, with pink and white
flowers, is also good. A fair depth of soil is essential.

Dianthus. Pink. This large family includes several
species of value. The Cheddar Pink (D. csesius) thrives
in gritty crevices between adjacent rocks. On rich soil
it soon dies. D. deltoides (Maiden Pink), a charming
pink spotted variety, is of particularly easy culture.
The Glacier Pink (D. neglectus) thrives in sandy loam,
its dwarf tufts of foliage and myriad rosy flowers
producing a charming effect on the higher ledges.

Dodecatheon. American Cowslip. These plants should
be grown in similar positions to the Alpine Primulas, the
roots being divided from time to time and replanted in

40 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

sandy loam. D. integrifolium blooms in March, the
flowers a purplish-crimson. D. Meadia, with drooping
umbels of purple flowers, is another good kind.

Draba. Whitlow Grass. Among small mosses and
in rock crevices a few plants of D. aizoides, with their
brilliant cushions of yellow flowers, are interesting
Alpines.

Dracocephalum. Dragon's-head. Easily grown plants
of the Sage family. D. grandiflorum is covered in July
with dense clusters of rich blue flowers. Division or
seed.

Erigeron. Fleabane. Though most of the family are
border plants, E. alpinum grandiflorum should be grown
in the rock garden. The mauve, daisy-like flowers are
produced very abundantly in late summer. Well drained
loam.

Erinus. Wall Erinus. On bare rocky places the
racemes of lilac flowers and tufted foliage of E. alpinus
are most welcome.

Geranium. Cranesbill. The two rock garden kinds
are G. argenteum and G. cinereum. Among the smallest
Alpines, the clusters of red flowers are charming. Seed.

Helianthemum. Sun Rose. There are few more
beautiful rock plants than these dwarf trailing shrubs.
For mantling sunny ledges they are unequalled. They
are quite hardy and succeed in any sandy loam. From a
long list of varieties, we may choose H. pilosum, white :
H. grandiflorum, yellow : and H. roseum multiplex,
double pink. When in full bloom these flowers are of
exquisite beauty.

Houstonia. Bluets. A grassy little plant, with
numerous dainty blue flowers on slender stems. A
sheltered corner with sandy soil should be afforded.

Hutchinsia. H. alpina, a good white flowered Alpine
for association with the dwarfest plants. Sandy soil.

Leontopodium. Edelweiss. The well known hoary-

ROCK GARDEN PLANTS 41

leaved plant, with yellow flowers. It is of the easiest
culture and must ever be of interest, though for some
its associations are of the saddest.

Linaria. Toadflax. For rock crevices and the joints
in rough steps L. alpina is useful. L. antirrhinifolia
forms dense tufts covered with purple flowers, and is a
bright note of colour among the stones. Moist, sandy soil.

Linum. Flax. The yellow L. flavum and the
exquisite Narbonne Flax (L. narbonnense) with sky-blue
flowers, are both good. The latter should be planted
in somewhat rich soil, if it is to bloom freely.

Lychnis. Campion. The best of these is L. Lagascae
with bright rosy flowers. Rock fissures with gritty
soil. Seed.

Mertensia. Little known but very graceful plants.
M. dahurica and M. alpina, both with drooping clusters
of bright blue flowers, may be grown in sandy soil.
Owing to their slender habit, the Mertensias should be
given sheltered positions.

Myosotis. Forget-me-not. M. alpestris is a gem for
rocky places. Its light blue flower masses harmonise
perfectly with those of its relative M. dissitiflora, which
are of a deeper shade. Moist loam.

Omphalodes. Navel wort. Well-drained sandy loam
suits these charming rock plants. O. Luciliae, with
glaucous foliage and lilac flowers, is hardy, and O.
verna (Creeping Forget-me-not) of trailing habit, bears
a profusion of bright blue and white blossoms. Seed
or division.

Onosma. Golden Drop. Dense tufts of evergreen
foliage, with drooping clusters of bright yellow flowers.
O. tauricum does well in a sunny aspect with deep loam
and broken grit.

Papaver. Poppy. The Alpine Poppy (P. alpinum)
is worthy of a place in the rock garden. The common
form has yellow flowers, with white centres. Seed.

42 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

Petrocallis. Rock Beauty. On small sunny ledges
in good soil this is a gem. P. pyrenaica bears a pro-
fusion of sweetly-scented, lilac flowers on dense tufts
of foliage. Seed.

Phlox. Of these the Moss Pink (P. subulata), errone-
ously known as P. setacea, is a dainty little evergreen
with rosy flowers. It is of prostrate habit, rambling
freely over stones and garlanding ledges. P. setacea is
equally delightful, with soft pink flowers j it may be
massed with its sub-variety P. s. violacea, whose deeper
crimson flowers afford a pretty combination.

Polygonum. Knotweed. The Himalayan variety P.
affine is a good plant for moist places, its spikes of rosy
red flowers producing a delightful effect. The foliage
is brilliantly coloured in autumn. P. vaccinifolium is
best in rough, rocky places where it can ramble at will
among stones and boulders.

Potentilla. Cinquefoil. Plants of easy culture, thriving
in exposed places in loamy soil. The best of the dwarf
Alpines are P. nitida (Shiny Cinquefoil), with silvery
leaves and rosy flowers : P. alpestris (Alpine Cinquefoil),
much larger, with bright yellow blossoms ; and P. alba
(White Cinquefoil), a dwarf variety, bearing white and
orange flowers.

Primula. Primrose. One of the largest and best of
all the rock plant families. For rock gardens the follow-
ing should be grown : P. denticulata, P. farinosa, P. rosea,
and P. Sieboldi. Described elsewhere.

Pyrola. Winter-green. Beautiful plants for half-shade.
P. rotundifolia, with tall stems and drooping racemes of
numerous white flowers, should be grown together with
its sub-variety P. r. arenaria. The flowers are sweetly
scented. Light sandy soil.

Ranunculus. Crowfoot Buttercup. Of simple culture,
the Buttercups thrive in any fairly moist sandy soil.
R. alpestris, with deep glossy foliage, and large pure

ROCK GARDEN PLANTS 43

white flowers and clustered yellow stamens, is one of
the best. R. glacialis, in the coolest positions, and R.
anplexicaulis (White Buttercup) are good for rock
gardens.

Sanguinaria. Bloodroot. A very desirable plant.
S. canadensis forms dense clusters of large glaucous
leaves, on which numerous white flowers with yellow
stamens rest like miniature Water-Lilies. Division.

Saponaria. Soapwort. The rosy-flowered S. ocymoides
is a beautiful plant for mantling the edges of rocks.
Poor, dry soil.

Saxifraga. Rockfoil. Perhaps the best known of all
rock plants. S. Cotyledon (Pyramidal Saxifrage), S.
longifolia, S. oppositifolia, S. umbrosa (London Pride).
Described elsewhere.

Sedum. Stonecrop. Hardy dwarf plants for rock
crevices and the higher ledges. S. acre (Wall Pepper)
grows freely on walling, and is bright by reason of its
vivid yellow flowers. S. stoloniferum (Purple Stone-
crop), with large leaves, and S. Sieboldi, useful for
draping the edges of stones, are among the best.

Sempervivum. Houseleek. Dwarf succulents, thriving
in the poorest soil. The Cobweb Houseleek (S. arach-
noideum) is exceedingly quaint, with its myriad silver
leaf rosettes covering the ground like a web. S. triste,
with red leaves, is distinct. Offsets.

Silene. Catch fly. Invaluable for rock gardens. The
Alpine Catchfly (S. alpestris) is a hardy white-flowered
kind. S. virginica (Fire Pink), though impatient of
overmuch moisture, is very beautiful, with its vivid
scarlet flowers borne above the trails of prostrate foliage.
Seed.

Soldanella. In a moist, deep soil between the higher
rocks, Soldanellas are delightful. S. alpina has bell-
shaped flowers of a pale blue colour, the carpet of
feathery foliage in this variety giving an added

44 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

charm. They must not be grown near large plants.
Division.

Thymus. Thyme. On the outskirts of the rock
garden where there are no small plants, masses of
creeping Thyme are very beautiful. The poorest and
driest soil will suffice. Two beautiful kinds are the
wild white Thyme (T. serpyllum albus) and the woolly-
leaved Mountain Thyme (T. lanuginosus), with purple
flowers. Full exposure to sun.

Tiarella. Foam Flower. An exquisite plant of the
hardiest description. The trailing foliage is tinged
with red and bronze, and the graceful spikes of creamy
pink flowers, when massed, give the rocks and stones
an almost foam-flecked appearance. Frequent division.

Veronica. Speedwell. The trailing kinds should be
found in all rock gardens. V. rupestris and V. prostrata
are good. V. spicata, a native plant, soon covers the
ground with neat patches of foliage. Sandy loam.

Viola. Violet. Described elsewhere.

From the foregoing list, many families of rock plants
are omitted. However, the majority are either bulbous
or of shrubby habit, and will be found described in the
chapters devoted to them.

CHAPTER VI

ROCK SHRUBS

IT is strange that the merits of dwarf shrubs should
have been so far overlooked by English rock gardeners.
Though much is written about the various families of
Alpines and herbaceous rock plants, it is seldom that we
see attention drawn towards the evergreen and other
shrubs which rightly belong to that part of the garden we
are now considering. Not only are we depriving ourselves
of a very beautiful and interesting class of plants, but
without shrubs, a rock garden of any size is bound to
present a confused or somewhat monotonous appearance.
No doubt the craze for mere botanical collections, as
apart from garden picture making, has prevented many
from realising the necessity for bold and definite effects
even in a garden of Alpines. Rock gardens are often
tame and insipid, partly because the foliage and flowers
of most Alpines is light in colour, but mainly owing to
the fact that in such places there is nothing very definite
to detain the eye. A small group of evergreen shrubs
comes as a welcome relief, connecting scattered units so
that they form one coherent ensemble, and making the
colour and form of the smaller rock plants more vivid
and distinct by contrast.

Another difficulty attends the designer of rock
gardens who overlooks the value of shrubs. The
sudden appearance of a rock-strewn mound covered
with dwarf plants, in an ordinary garden scene, is apt to
produce a jarring note. It looks as though the rock

45

46 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

garden had been deposited bodily in surroundings least
suited to it. By planting the approach with small
shrubs, interspersed with an occasional boulder, this
feeling is entirely overcome, and the eye is gradually
prepared for the wild beauty of rocks and Alpine
flowers. The ability to grow plants is but wasted
opportunity if no attempt is made to display them to the
fullest advantage.

In the true Alpine garden our choice of shrubs is
necessarily limited, and any we employ must be kept on
the lower slopes and approaches. In the mixed rock
garden no such restrictions apply, and the heights may
be crowned with the fiery spikes of Gorse and Broom,
whilst glaucous patches of Rosemary and Lavender will
act as a foil to bright colonies of herbaceous flowers.

The family of Heaths contains several beautiful
varieties, many of them especially suited to the rock
garden. These delightful shrubs from mountain and
moorland are among the best possible plants for the
rough grass and boulder-strewn approaches, and when
strongly massed among herbaceous flowers create a
welcome note of soft colour. The Alpine Forest Heath
(Erica carnea) is perhaps the hardiest of all, and thrives
in practically any class of soil. On the mountains of
Europe it is snow-covered throughout the winter,
bursting into myriad rosy blooms in the early days of
spring. The white variety should not be forgotten.
In warm districts the Tree Heath (E. arborea) may be
planted in the lower sections of the rock garden. A
native of Southern Europe and the Canaries, it is found
in oak woods, where its snowy flowers produce a
charming effect. In favoured spots it attains the
dimensions of a tree, but with us it is shrub-like.
Slightly peaty soil suits the Bell Heather (E. Tetralix),
which flowers freely in late summer. The Scotch and
Dorset Heaths (E. cinerea and E. ciliaris) are both

ROCK SHRUBS 47

dwarf kinds, covering the ground with spreading masses
of graceful foliage, and blooming as early as June.
The Cornish Heath (E. vagans) and the Common Ling
(E. vulgaris) should be freely planted in rough meadow
land or woodland clearing ; bold drifts of either would
look well among the stones and dry bents skirting the
rock garden.

Akin to the Heaths, and equally desirable, are the
dwarf Menziesias, tiny Alpine shrubs with dark tufts of
evergreen foliage and clusters of white and rosy bells.
M. coerulea, M. empetriformis, and M. polifolia are the
best known, and thrive in the higher ledges in a sandy-
peat soil. Near these we would place a clump of
Pernettyas (Prickly Heath) whose claim to distinction
lies in their large berries in all shades of scarlet and
purple. During the winter their bright appearance
is particularly welcome.

The Skimmias, spreading evergreens from China and
Japan, are precious rock garden shrubs ; their small size
and adaptability to varying soils render them valuable
almost anywhere. Their bright shining leaves are
much like those of the Garland-flower (Daphne), whose
delicious fragrance rivals that of any other flower.
Such gems as these, far too small and dainty for the
mixed shrubbery, and quite unnecessarily grown in
pots, are best placed in the rock garden, where their
beauty can be readily appreciated. D. Cneorum, with
dense terminal umbels of pink flowers, blooms twice
in the year; a small bush but a few inches high,
flooding the air with its perfume. The Rock Daphne
(D. rupestris) is a. little more difficult to grow, and
demands slightly peaty soil with free drainage and
abundant moisture. If a slow grower, it is very free
blooming, the whole plant being densely covered with
waxy pink flowers. The old-fashioned Mezeron, the
joy of cottage gardens, blooms before winter is past,

48 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

though, unlike the others, it is deciduous. A white-
flowered kind, D. Blagayana, is also worthy of notice.

Near the entrance to the rock garden, crowning a low
bastion, a plant of Veronica Traversi looks particularly
well. It is the only Speedwell of its kind sufficiently
hardy for outdoor planting. The flowers are pale
mauve, but the value of the shrub lies mainly in its
distinct form, which enables due emphasis to be given
to certain features.

Alpine Rhododendrons possess great depth and
richness of leafage colour. Belonging to the mountain
ranges of Europe, they are perfectly hardy and well
fitted for association with Alpines and rock plants. R.
Chamaecistus, an exquisite little shrub, only a few
inches high, may be grown in the highest situations in
sandy loam with a slight admixture of peat. It is
always found naturally on the limestone formation, and
is impatient of granite soils. Other dwarf kinds are
R. myrtifolium, hybridum, and odoratum, the latter
a scented variety. The scarlet-flowered Swiss
Rhododendrons (R. ferrugineum and R. hirsutum)
known also as Alpine Roses, are of larger growth, and
do best in peaty soil in the lower parts of the rock
garden. All the dwarf Rhododendrons except
Chamaecistus form suitable backing plants for bright
patches of herbaceous flowers.

Included among these dwarf evergreens is the
Partridge Berry (Gaultheria procumbens), with drooping
white flowers and winter berries. It succeeds in sandy
soil in partial shade, and is easily increased by division.
The other Gaultherias are too large for any but rock
gardens of considerable extent.

Above the groups of small plants and the hard edge of
the topmost rocks, there may be planted those hardy
flowering shrubs which rejoice in the sunniest and most
exposed positions. An u nbroken line of upstanding foliage

ROCK SHRUBS 49

is not desirable, but bold groups in several places, with an
occasional fringe of overhanging branches. When the
rock mound or bank is of only slight elevation we may
in this way screen distant objects from view, and give an
air of completeness to the whole design. If the upper
part of the rock garden is tenanted only by plants of small
stature, it almost appears as though the object of such
dwarfing was to enable an uninterrupted view of scenes
beyond. This, however, is unfortunate ; a full measure
of beauty is to be found among the Alpines and rock
flowers themselves, and a degree of seclusion and privacy
is necessary for their full appreciation.

In the hottest situations where nothing else will thrive,
various kinds of Broom and the double and dwarf Furze
may be planted. It is a mistake to despise the latter
shrub because it grows wild on English commons ; there
are few more glorious sights in Nature than a golden sea
of Furze beneath a stormy sky. The double variety is
to be preferred to the single wild kind, lasting longer in
bloom and giving more vivid colour effects. The dwarf
Ulex nanus flowers at midsummer, and is suitable for
small rock gardens. Furze requires regular pruning to
keep it within bounds, and young plants are much easier
to establish than older specimens. The Brooms (Cytisus)
are a beautiful family, from the strong growing C. Albus
(Portuguese Broom) with its long slender branches
wreathed with white flowers, to the tiny C. Ardoini,
a miniature Alpine shrub. The Spanish Broom flowers
freely in hot, dry soils, and even our British Broom
(C. Scoparius) is worth growing on the wilder outskirts
of the rock garden. Of different habit to others of the
genus, the Purple Broom trails along ledges and falls in
dense curtains over large boulders.

It is unfortunate that the Rock Roses (Cistus) are not
more hardy, as they are particularly suited to a dry sandy
soil in the upper parts of the rock garden. However,

50 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

they rarely do well except in the southern counties, and
even there they are liable to be destroyed during a severe
winter. They are easily propagated, and a stock of new
plants can be raised from time to time, so as to make
good any losses. The flowers last but a single day, but
are borne in such profusion that this peculiarity is hardly
noticeable. C. laurifolius and C. cyprius are among the
best.

The Genistas (Rock Broom) are a large family, and
contain many varieties for the rock garden. In the
majority of species the twigs assume a pendent habit, and
the effect of the cascades of yellow blossoms streaming
down the rock slopes is delightful. G. germanica is free
flowering, and forms a shrub of moderate dimensions,
G. pilosa, occasionally occurs naturally in England,
bearing its yellow flowers in May and June. The double
form of G. tinctoria, G. aspalathoides, G. praecox and
G. Andreana are among those from which a choice may
be made. All the Genistas are readily increased by seed,
are indifferent as to soil, and need transplanting before
the roots become too coarse and straggling.

Owing to the practice of crowding the hardy Junipers
among free growing evergreens in the shrubbery, their
value is seldom realised. When grouped together in the
rock garden it will be seen that they are by no means
unworthy, the common Savin (J. Sabina) having a
decided beauty in its graceful, feathery branches. J.
prostrata is a good sub-variety.

On warm, sunny banks a few plants of Lavender and
Rosemary will afford those silvery half tones which are
of such value in the composition of colour effects. The
older bushes look best, the trim symmetrical form of
the young plants having given place to a freedom of
gnarled and twisted branches, lightly flecked with
glaucous leaves. Both the white and blue Lavenders
are worth cultivation. Apart from other reasons there

ROCK SHRUBS 51

is a charm, a fragrant memory, attaching to these old-
fashioned flowers, which gives them a special claim to
our consideration.

Rock shrubs of trailing character are of the greatest
possible value in forming connecting lines between upright
groups. The beautiful Rocksprays (Cotoneaster) drape
the larger stones and boulders, and the evergreen kinds
are like cheerful garlands on the cold slopes of the winter
rock garden. The Wall Cotoneaster (C. microphylla)
is quite hardy, and produces a pretty effect with its deep
green foliage, white blossoms and crimson berries.
C. horizontalis (Plumed Cotoneaster)is brilliant in autumn,
with vivid scarlet berries and flaming leaves. The
Rocksprays are of the easiest culture and do well in
almost any soil. With other trailing shrubs the
graceful Miihlenbeckias may be associated, complexa
and varia being chosen for preference.

CHAPTER VII

WILD WATER MARGINS

THE native stream or meadow pool is nearly always
beautiful. Formed by natural means, and clothed with
a diversity of water plants, the gardener will here seek
his truest inspiration. No matter at what season we visit
it, we find ample evidences of rational grouping and
exquisite colour effect. In early spring, great clumps
of Marsh Marigold line the moisture-laden margins, the
blossoms raised like golden chalices to catch the fitful
sun-rays that slant from behind the storm clouds. The
Loosestrife and creamy Meadowsweet give colour and
fragrance throughout the summer days, and as autumn
advances the leaves of the Water Dock are dyed a vivid
scarlet. Nor yet in mid-winter is the stream margin
devoid of interest ; there will yet be a glint of silver
among the willows, the soft greys and fawns of dying
rush and sedge stain the banks, and above all, there is
beauty of form as displayed by a group of alders,
stretching their naked branches across the water.

Seeing then the success that has attended Nature
unaided, we must be exceeding careful in our treatment
of a water garden of this description. The planting of
incongruous subjects, or any attempt at formal pathmaking
or bank work, will result in a hopeless jumble, in which
the good effect of one section will be entirely nullified
by the unsuitability of its surroundings. However, there
are few of these wild water gardens that may not be
distinctly improved by careful and restrained planting.

WILD WATER MARGINS 53

The overgrown appearance often presented by stream
margins may also be relieved by the thinning out of coarse
vegetation, and the removal of water weeds. In all such
cases it should be our object to heighten interest, without
in any way altering a style which is essentially informal.
Supposing then that a natural stream or pond exists
somewhere on the property, our first thought must be
to secure convenient access. Frequently the stream
borders the garden proper, or it may intersect a small
paddock, or run parallel to the side of the orchard.
Occasionally we are called upon to consider a pond
somewhat overgrown by trees and surrounded by a
swampy margin, which has hitherto caused the spot to be
regarded as inaccessible. The actual making of suitable
paths calls for no great skill, in fact the rougher and more
irregularly they are formed, the better. Any appearance
of uniformity will quite mar the effect, as will the use of
gravel surfaces or trimmed edges. To appreciate the
value of simplicity, it is worth while examining closely a
rough track formed by the passage of wild creatures
down to some woodland drinking place or forest pool.
In all cases the line of easiest gradient is followed, natural
obstacles are skirted closely, and the water approached
at some convenient bay or inlet. Variety is given to the
path by the projection through its surface of tree roots
and worn stones, which instead of proving a hindrance,
often secure a firm foothold on a steep or slippery descent.
The edges of such pathways will fade imperceptibly into
the grass and undergrowth, and apart from mere
picturesqueness, the idea of utility and purpose is ever
present. Marshy ground calls for more thorough
treatment before the path can be used with comfort and
safety in all weathers. By excavating a sufficient depth
of soil and laying a foundation of stones and rough
material, afterwards filling in with ballast, a convenient
approach can be formed through all but very wet ground.

54 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

In some cases it will be necessary to use flat stones, in
order to prevent the ballast from sinking; in others a
substructure of wooden piles driven into the ground
may be required. The use of stepping stones to connect
one section of the pathway with another is suggestive of
variety, and is especially suitable where a shallow branch
of the main stream has to be crossed.

If the actual making of such pathways is a simple
matter, calling for rough and substantial treatment
rather than skilled workmanship, the planning of their
course demands much thought and no little artistic
perception. Too frequently the path follows closely
the bank of the stream throughout its whole length,
producing the monotonous effect which is inseparable
from a canal towing path. In the case of a pond, the
path often completely encircles it at a regular distance.
Apart from other considerations, it is unlikely that the
whole course of the stream garden will prove equally
worthy of notice, and for this reason, the path should
turn inland at the less interesting spots, bending back
towards the bank when some desirable feature presents
itself.

The gradual unfolding of a particular view is pro-
ductive of pleasure and interest where a large expanse
of country is concerned ; it is seldom satisfactory where
inches take the place of miles. This point is one that
the garden-maker would do well to keep in mind,
especially where small pieces of water are under con-
sideration. For this reason, advantage should be taken
of clumps of trees, small knolls or natural rock excres-
cences, behind which the pathway may be carried.
Anything in fact which will tend to break the con-
tinuity of view, and screen, if only momentarily, our
stream from sight. As the water margin on the side
opposite the path will be most easily seen, it is often
advisable to provide stepping stones or a simple form of

WILD WATER MARGINS 55

log bridge in order to enable a view of dwarf plants on
the near bank, which from their own side are hidden.
In fact, water gardens which can only be seen from one
side are seldom satisfactory, and interest can be multiplied
indefinitely when the pathway crosses and recrosses the
stream, now passing close by the water's edge, now
running inland for awhile. The advantage of a winding
brook over one which flows perfectly straight is obvious;
moreover it enables certain features to be strengthened,
without in any way producing an appearance of artifi-
ciality. For instance, the deepening of a bay will pro-
vide a home for various plants which would be swept
away by anything approaching a rush of water ; whilst
the making of a miniature promontory at a suitable bend
will hide the course of the stream from view, revealing
it suddenly as the pathway turns. In these and other
ways we can prepare our stream, so that the maximum
effect will be obtained when the plants and aquatics
have become established.

Before attempting to plant, the character of the exist-
ing vegetation should be carefully studied. This will
vary greatly, according as the stream winds sluggishly
through rich water-meadows, or trickles among mossy
boulders and fallen tree stumps. In one case, the soil
will probably be a rich alluvial mud, favourable to the
growth of the yellow Iris or the rank growing Dropwort.
In the other, we shall find a variety of native ferns,
of small creeping things among the mosses, and bold
isolated clumps of golden Marigolds. Whatever ad-
ditional planting is done, then, must be influenced by the
class of plants already existing. Choice Water-Lilies,
so beautiful in garden tank or formal pond, would look
utterly out of place among the homely surroundings of
the meadow stream.

The largest and boldest plants, such for instance as
the Cow Parsnip (Heracleum), should be reserved for

56 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

positions where the ground juts into the water. Not
only will their handsome leaves show to best advantage,
but so placed, they will conceal the further water recesses
and provide an air of mystery as to what the next turn
will reveal. An endeavour should be made to introduce
a few clumps of plants with distinctive foliage. These
may take the place of much of the coarse grass and
sedge which probably chokes the margin of the stream.

The Sweet Flag (Acorus Calamus), exhaling a delicate
fragrance from its leaves when bruised, the Great Water
Plantain and the common Bulrush (Typha) are quite
suitable. Then there is the Great Water Dock (Rumex
Hydrolapathum), which in autumn decks our stream side
with its blood-red banners. Unexpectedly beautiful,
and yet to be found beside many English streams, is the
Flowering Rush (Butomus), carrying its bold umbels of
rose-red flowers on tall stems. Distinctive and worthy
of a place, the Giant Horse-Tail (E. Telmateia) deserves
to be established in localities where it does not already
occur.

Unless the margin already consists of a fair breadth of
rich soil, it is well to use the mud excavated from the
bed of the stream as a top dressing before planting.
During the process of deepening pools and enlarging
bays, a large quantity will be removed, and in such a
roothold the large border plants will thrive exceedingly.

In addition to the Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum),
already mentioned, we may plant the yellow variety
(Lysimachia). A well-grown plant of the Common
Butter-bur (Petasites) would look well springing from
a position close to the water edge ; the dull pink flowers
appear in spring before the leaves unfold. It is on the
latter that the value of the plant depends ; they are
handsome objects, often a foot across, and not unlike
those of the rhubarb.

In a simple water garden, such as we have in mind,

WILD WATER MARGINS 57

only native plants would have a place. It is essentially
a home for the many and beautiful wildings which may
be collected from the sides of English streams and ponds.
Even were it possible, we would refrain from any
attempt at naturalising the common Arum (Richardia)
or the choice Irises, which in more cultivated quarters
are of supreme value. They would harmonise but ill
with certain of our native plants, and would in some
cases be speedily choked out of existence.

Considerable care must be taken when selecting the
water plants themselves. The tendency of most of
them is to increase very rapidly, and a few rampant
growers, such as the native Yellow Water-Lily (Nuphar
lutea) will soon completely cover the surface. It is
advisable, therefore, to keep such plants well isolated,
or in such positions that their wandering propensities
can be curtailed.

In fairly still water the Yellow Buckbean (Villarsia
nymphaeoides), with its fringed single flowers and leaves
like a miniature Water-Lily, forms strong patches in a
short time. It blooms throughout the summer. When
planting, tie a stone to each root, and drop them into the
desired position, when they will soon become estab-
lished. Stratiotes aloides, the Water Soldier, is little
known, though it is a native in English waters. Perhaps
it is more curious than beautiful, yet the dark tufts of
long, green leaves are decidedly attractive. The flowers
are insignificant, the plant rising to the surface as they
are produced, afterwards sinking to the bottom again.
Another good plant is the Water Violet (Hottonia palus-
tris), which forms tufts of dark foliage, from which
spring the flower stems bearing whorls of pink blossoms.
It should be planted in clear shallow water, Nor must
the Buckbean (Menyanthes) be forgotten. Pieces of
the stem, if secured, will soon throw out roots ; the
three-lobed leaves and flowers delicately stained with

58 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

pink are very distinctive. It has the merit, too, of being
sweetly scented. The well-known Arrowhead (Saggi-
taria) is another useful plant for shallow water. Even
the single variety, with its tall spikes of white flowers,
is not to be despised, though it is surpassed by some of
the double forms. Ranunculus aquatilis needs no plant-
ing ; it will establish itself if merely thrown upon the
water. The foliage is feathery, and the flowers, a pure
white, are produced in great abundance.

For the simplest form of stream garden, one which is
but a modest endeavour to gather into small compass
the best of English native plants, the above list is quite
sufficient. There is more beauty in a single plant well
grown than in twenty which are overcrowded. Such a
garden will afford endless pleasure during the summer
days ; its very simplicity will bring the flower-lover very
close to the heart of nature. Beside it, the tawdry
blaze of colour, which is the outcome of the carpet-
bedder's efforts, will seem a blatant vulgarism, a travesty
of a pure and beautiful art.

The planting of trees and bushes near a native stream
or pool should cause a moment's consideration. As a
rule, we find that a mixed collection of evergreen
shrubs, especially Rhododendrons, is considered fitting
in such localities. A greater mistake could not possibly
be made. The most unobservant cannot fail to notice
that the class of trees growing beside meadow streams
and broadland meres is of a totally different character.
In place of ponderous masses of sombre foliage we have
the graceful shoots and twisted trunks of the Willows,
the lines of spiry Poplars, Dogwoods, Silver Birch, and
the handsome Spruce. All these exhibit a special
beauty of outline, always a consideration near water,
where reflection is such a powerful aid to picture-
making. Our own deciduous trees furnish sufficient
variety for waterside planting, and only in special cases

WILD WATER MARGINS 59

is it necessary to employ those from other countries.
Lack of harmony among the larger plants will produce
a feeling of dissatisfaction and unrest as we view our
garden in after )'ears.

Of the Poplars none are more beautiful than the
Lombardy. It is a variety which looks especially well
near water, and either in straggling lines or in sentinel-
like isolation, possesses true artistic value. A group of
Aspen Poplars will amply reward the planter, if the soil
happens to be a warm limestone ; in such favoured spots
the foliage of the Aspen assumes an exquisite colouring
in autumn. There are many plants and trees I should
like to see more freely used in English gardens and
fields, but none more than the Poplars. The sight of a
French valley in spring, when these graceful trees are
putting forth a brown mist of leaves, is an object
lesson in the value of tree form to a landscape.

The Willows offer a variety of subjects, good in form
and colour. Salix alba develops into a stately tree, and
is a noble ornament to the stream side. To those who
desire colour, there is the scarlet-barked or Cardinal
Willow, and the golden-yellow kind, also good. In
winter, the bundles of brightly coloured rods form a
cheerful note on a dull day. The various forms of
Weeping Willow are much less suited to English
gardens, and yet they are extensively planted. Some
are not quite hardy, and except for large pieces of
water they are apt to look over-heavy and dense. Many
growers of Willows urge the practice of cutting down
yearly, arguing that the vivid colouring of the young
shoots is a decided advantage. To this I cannot agree,
as the sacrifice of form is so great that we lose more
than we gain. If the rods are needed for tying, a few
can be cut for the purpose, or, better still, a small patch
grown for yielding a supply.

According to the character of the water, we may

60 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

associate such trees as the Spruce, the graceful Silver
Birch, and the Alder. The roots of the native Water
Elder (Viburnum opulus) will help to bind the banks
closely, and the handsome bushes look especially well
overhanging the stream.

CHAPTER VIII

SMALL WATER GARDENS

IN quite small gardens, much may be achieved by the
use of tubs in which to grow collections of aquatics.
Ingenuity, and above all the exercise of good taste, will
overcome many obstacles, and there are few places in
which a small water garden such as is contemplated
in this chapter may not be successfully arranged.

At first sight, a tub may not seem a particularly
desirable object in which to grow even a small Water-
Lily, but when it is realised that the tubs may help to form
part of a definite garden scheme, and that their identity
will be carefully concealed, possibilities of no mean
order are suggested. I have in mind a small garden of
bog and water, which has been constructed at very
small cost, and which might well serve as a model for
others. Practically no skilled labour was required in
its making, whilst the area it occupies — some fourteen
yards by three — could easily be spared in the majority
of gardens. Few would imagine on seeing this charm-
ing spot, that it has only been in existence a short time,
or that the site was formerly a strip of waste ground
over-run with nettles and coarse grass. With slight
modification this water garden could be made almost
anywhere, so that I shall describe it in detail.

At the end of the flower garden, a small planting of
mixed shrubs occurs ; these are of the usual type, and
consist chiefly of laurels. Along one side of this
shrubbery a pathway led down to a small paddock,

6z

62 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

which it is intended later to convert into an orchard.
The sides of the path were bordered with rough
margins of waste ground, which through neglect had
become over-run with weeds, and had also served as a
convenient place in which to shoot rubbish, stack turf
and erect a few frames. Altogether it was thoroughly
unsightly. The owner saw possibilities of improve-
ment, and after some thought decided on turning it
into a bog and water garden. Unfortunately there is
not a stream or pond on the property, and as expense
was a consideration, nothing very elaborate was con-
templated.

In the first place, the ground was thoroughly cleaned,
and a new pathway made along the side furthest from
the shrubbery. This provided a strip of ground some
four yards wide and fifteen long between the path-edge
and the line of shrubs. As it was not considered advis-
able that the bog garden should extend close up to the
laurels, it is nowhere more than nine feet wide, and in
some places even less.

Having marked out the site, the next step was to
remove the soil to a depth of two feet. This proved a
somewhat heavy task, but the advisability of having the
bog and water plants sunk well below the general
ground level, made a certain amount of spade and
barrow work necessary. With the soil removed, high
banks interspersed with rockwork were made at either
end. These served to screen and shelter the bog
garden, and also provided a home for many delightful
plants, those on the lower slopes being such as
appreciate a considerable degree of moisture.

Six large petroleum casks were then procured, each
being sawn in half. The tubs were well-charred
inside, in order to render them as durable as possible,
the oil which had soaked into the wood acting as an
additional preservative against decay. Down the length

SMALL WATER GARDENS 63

of the bog garden holes were excavated of sufficient
size to sink the casks level with the rims. The holes
were dug at about seven feet apart, and were arranged
at irregular distances from the path, so that the tubs
did not form a straight line. As the ground sloped
naturally to the lower end, each tub, when sunk in
position, was slightly lower than its predecessor: on
the level, it would have been necessary to provide a
fall by digging the holes deeper in succession.

A somewhat better effect would have been obtained
had the tubs, or rock pools as they now appear, been
spaced more irregularly. As it is, there is practically the
same interval between each. Two tubs close together,
then a third at treble the distance, followed by a cluster
of three, would probably have produced a more natural
result.

A bricklayer was now instructed to connect the line
of tubs by a small watercourse ; in this case, merely a
shallow cemented channel. This did not run straight
from tub to tub, but followed a slightly winding
direction. The water supply was obtained from the
mains, and was carried down to the entrance of the bog
garden through ordinary iron piping. Before use, it
was allowed to stand for some hours in a large open
cistern, so that it became slightly warmed.

Suitable receptacles for aquatics had now been pro-
vided, and means devised whereby the water in the
tubs could be renewed as often as necessary. All
that remained was to lay out the garden, and conceal
as far as possible the unsightly channel and the regular
circles formed by the tub edges.

More digging was here necessary, and a further
eighteen inches of soil removed. Fortunately building
operations had been in progress, and several cart-loads
of broken bricks, mortar rubbish, and general debris
were available. A good layer of drainage material was

64 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

thus provided, and above it was spread a foot deep of
peaty loam. The surface was made as irregular as
possible, rising in small hillocks and ridges from the
watercourse. The symmetrical appearance of the
latter was then masked by rough stones, so placed
that they produced an impression of water flowing
along a small rocky channel. In two places the minia-
ture stream was bridged by flat boulders.

Some amount of ingenuity was next expended on the
tubs. The rims were hidden by an edging of flat stones,
resting on a collar of cement — this was found necessary
in order to prevent the water from overflowing, instead
of passing along the channel to the next tub. The
stones were of all shapes and sizes, and were so arranged
that they did not follow the barrel rims exactly, but
produced small angles and crevices, with an occasional
larger piece of rock jutting out over the water. When
finished, no two pools were of exactly the same
shape.

Simple steps of rough stone lead down to the sunken
water garden from its upper end, passing behind the
rock mounds. In the joints, ivy-leaved Toad Flax,
Campanula pusilla, and some of the smaller Saxifrages
have become established. The pools nearest to the path
are also approached by steps, with a stone slab at the
edge to give convenient foothold for closer examination
of the Lilies.

When making this garden, adequate means for
supplying water to the bog plants themselves was un-
fortunately overlooked. As it is, they are occasionally
refreshed and the soil kept moist, by a few cansful from
the water-barrow. This entails slight extra labour,
which, I think, might have been avoided. A small
iron cistern could have been sunk in the ground at the
point where the supply-pipe emerged from the rock
mound. An overhanging edge of stones would have

SMALL WATER GARDENS 65

given it the appearance of a small spring, and an easy
approach would have constituted it a useful dipping
pool. Some inches from the top an outlet would com-
municate with the cement channel, so that after using
as much water as was necessary for soaking the bog
soil, the simple expedient of turning on the supply
at the reservoir would refill the dipping tank, causing
it to overflow down the channel, and thus refresh the
aquatics in the tubs. An overhanging fringe of Hart's-
Tongue would look well near the tank, and in the stone-
work joints, the common Polypody, the Oak and Beech
Ferns would thrive.

Only plants of small size can be used for these
miniature gardens ; everything must be planned on a
reduced scale. For the tubs the larger Nymphaeas are,
of course, out of the question ; but in one of them we
may grow N. pygmaea, a diminutive Lily with white
flowers ; in another, the pale yellow variety Helvola,
which is a seedling from N. pygmaea, and was raised
by M. Latour-Marliac. Pontederia, with arrow-shaped
leaves and spikes of blue flowers, would also be suit-
able, as would the beautiful Cape Pond-flower (Apono-
geton). The leaves lie on the surface of the water,
and the white waxy flowers, sweetly scented, are raised
slightly above it. There is a pink-flowered variety,
roseus.

In the moist bog soil, Primula farinosa and P.
rosea will be found, small patches of the native
yellow Saxifrage (S. autumnalis) being placed near the
sides of the watercourse. The Bavarian Gentian (G.
bavarica), with blossoms of iridescent blue, is like-
wise at home in the wet bog. A charming plant for
contrast is the dwarf Bunch-berry (C. candensis), dis-
tinct as to its cream-coloured bracts and scarlet berries.
In sphagnum, the Droseras and the smaller plants
mentioned elsewhere can be established. From the

66 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

American swamps we get the Meadow Beauty (Rhexia
virginica), a beautiful dwarf plant, with deep rosy
flowers. For carpeting, in addition to the mosses,
there is the Moneywort (Sibthorpia), and in shade the
hardy Adiantum pedatum and the American Mayflower
(Epigsea repens). One corner in half-shade must be
set aside for a clump of Cypripedium spectabile, and
at the back Osmunda and certain of our smaller Spiraeas
would relieve any tendency to flatness.

It is the intention of the owner of the water garden
we have been considering, to effect considerable altera-
tions in the shrubbery which bounds the bog margin.
In course of time the majority of the laurels will
be removed, and their place taken by Rhododendrons
and the choicer flowering shrubs. Peaty soil will be
provided in which colonies of Lilies can be established,
with ferns in the damper quarters. Short vistas will
be opened from the bog garden side, so as to soften
the present hard dividing line. Thus the two gardens
— water and shrub — will gradually merge into one, and
the plants range from actual aquatics to those which
inhabit the dry peaty clearings among the Rhododen-
drons. It is always best to forecast other schemes,
and arrange for future developments when planning
alterations. Considerations of expense may render it
necessary to delay the completion of the design, but
the final effect will be rendered more certain when
the various stages are considered to form part of an
harmonious whole.

In very small gardens indeed, where space cannot
be spared for even the above modest attempt at water-
gardening, isolated tubs may be used. They should
certainly be sunk in the ground, as under no circum-
stance can they be considered to possess anything but
strictly utilitarian value. The water supply will be
renewed by hand, taking care to disturb the plants

SMALL WATER GARDENS 67

as little as possible. Some gardeners never change the
water in tubs and small basins, but find that a few
newts suffice to keep it moderately clean and fresh.

A water garden suggests something elaborate and
costly, a luxury for the wealthy, but there are many
who derive no small amount of pleasure from the
miniature charms of a single Lily in a tub, with a fringe
of bog plants growing in a moist, peaty bed beside it.

CHAPTER IX

BOG AND MARSH GARDENS

INTIMATELY associated with the true water plants are
the numerous children of the bog and marsh land. Not
the least beautiful parts of the semi-wild water garden
will be found in its moisture-laden margins, in the dark
peaty hollows among the trees, and in the clearings
amid the copse. Here will flourish our native bog
plants, Drosera, Pinguicula, Caltha, Parnassia, Osmunda
and Purple Orchis. In the less wild portions, crimson
patches of Primula japonica will stain the moss carpet,
and by the pathways rosy branches of Dielytra specta-
bilis are finely contrasted with a glossy background of
Rhododendron leafage. Somewhere among the tree
shadows, a special corner will be found, where in
splendid isolation, clumps of the Mocassin flower
(Cypripedium spectabile) may throw up their gorgeous
slippered blooms. And so gradually, the flower pro-
cession passes from water to bog, from bog to wood-
land, from woodland to meadow and garden border,
changing as the various stages are traversed, a complete
and beautiful revelation of Nature's adaptability and
resource.

Near the margins of fair-sized pools and along the
sides of valley streams, natural bog gardens may be
made with little trouble. In fact, nothing much is
needful in the way of preparation beyond the con-
struction of safe and convenient pathways, and the
clearing away of the weeds and coarse herbage which

68

BOG AND MARSH GARDENS 69

usually over-run such spots. If the area of ground to
be dealt with is large, it will be advisable to retain some
of the boldest groups of sedge and rush, allowing these
to act as natural screens to the various divisions. The
making of rough pathways will present no difficulty.
At the edge of the marsh ground and in the drier
portions it will be sufficient to excavate the soil to a
depth of a few inches, filling in with rough ballast and
making the surface moderately level. Towards the
centre and in the wettest places, the paths should be
dug out at least a foot deep, coarse drainage and porous
material being afterwards rammed in until a sufficiently
high and firm passage-way is secured. Such paths
should be left quite in the rough, with edges only
barely defined. Any attempt at trimness or formality
would be quite out of place. Though it should be
so arranged that all the best and most interesting parts
of the bog garden can be included in the survey, an
undue number of paths will produce a map-like and
unsatisfactory effect. In order to obviate this, good
use may be made of stepping-stones, which will not
only provide " short cuts " from one pathway to another,
but will permit of close inspection of plants growing in
the wet mossy ground, fringing the bog pools.

With the soil removed when path-making and clean-
ing, mounds and sloping banks may be made in the drier
situations. A flat, even surface is fatal to the appear-
ance of the bog garden, where the various families of
water-loving plants should be grown in little groups
and colonies, each a small picture in itself. It is
essential also, that a varying degree of moisture be
obtainable throughout, for although many bog plants,
such as Osmunda, Iris Kaempferi and Calthas, revel in
wet mud, others require a peaty loam or leaf-soil. It
is an easy matter to prepare special beds for favoured
groups of Liliums, or to make clearings among the

70 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

sphagnum for such small subjects as Pinguicula and
Drosera.

Grouping for general effect, which is an important
consideration in the flower garden proper, is something
totally unknown in the bog garden. In one case we
enjoy harmonious colour masses, and the beautiful en-
semble produced by many carefully designed units j
in the other we are called upon to study individual
plants, to consider each flower as something worthy of
notice. In short, bog gardens are Nature, as it were,
under the microscope. Each separate plant disassociates
itself from its neighbours, and seems to invite close
inspection and its due meed of praise.

On the rising ground at the outskirts of the bog
garden, the planting should be of a bolder and more
definite character. The soil will here be drier and
better drained, so that plants which prefer to send
their roots for some distance in search of moisture
should be selected. If a strip of woodland or hazel
copse skirts one side of the marshy land, the garden
may merge imperceptibly into the undergrowth, good
use being made of Daffodils, Lily-of-the- Valley and
Anemones, planted in long drifts among the trees.

In the higher bog garden, bold clumps of Goat's
Beard (Astilbe rivularis), Blue Poppy and Eulalias,
would serve to mark the confines of the garden.
Another plant of somewhat the same character is
Turkey's Beard (Xerophyllum asphodeloides), its
racemes of white blossoms thrown well above the
grassy foliage, on tall stalks. The Globe-flowers
(Trollius) will also give very fine effects, and are
especially happy when the roots can travel in search
of moisture near at hand. In large grounds, Rhodo-
dendrons in irregular groups are invaluable, and also
provide shelter for peat-loving Lilies.

Following these we may include a collection of

BOG AND MARSH GARDENS 71

herbaceous Spiraeas, the large shrubby Meadow-sweets.
One of the best is S. palmata, with handsome foliage
and rosy-crimson flowers. In the neighbourhood of
water, the effect produced by the rich colouring of
this variety is charming. S. venusta, S. Aruncus and
S. Ulmaria, the latter the double form of the wild
Meadow-sweet, are all worth cultivating. Spiraeas are
so often grown in garden borders or in the poor soil
in mixed shrubberies, that the opportunity of planting
them in what approaches their natural habitat should
not be neglected. Given ample room and an abund-
ance of moisture, they exhibit a freedom of growth
which is surprising.

We would arrange a deep bay in the Rhododendron
belt, and here prepare a home for a colony of swamp-
loving lilies. Unless of a peaty nature, it would be
well to excavate the existing soil to a depth of a foot,
filling in with a prepared compost of leaf soil, peat and
road grit. A few barrow-loads of chopped turf will also
help to provide an ideal bed in which to plant some of
the noblest flowers to be found in our gardens. L.
giganteum is magnificent in such positions, and, like
the others, requires only some sheltering undergrowth
as a slight protection in early spring. The foliage,
unlike most lilies, consists of broad tufts of heart-shaped
leaves, from which spring the stout stalks six or eight
feet high. These are topped by long racemes of frag-
rant white flowers, slightly tinged with purple. The
Swamp Lily (L. superbum) is another fine variety for
the outskirts of the bog garden; the clusters of deep
orange flowers are borne on stout purplish stems. The
beautiful Californian Lily (L. pardalinum) of which
there are many sub -varieties, must not be forgotten.
In moist, peaty soil it increases in size yearly, the
pendent blossoms, vivid orange spotted with chocolate,
being most effective. Of smaller habit is L. canadense

72 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

(Canadian Lily), which should be grown in bold clumps
to show its clusters of golden-red flowers to best advan-
tage. All these North American Lilies revel in cool,
moist soils, and in their native haunts are found, glow-
ing masses of colour, in swampy regions. As a ground
work for the Liliums, good use might be made of the
White Wood Lily (Trillium grandiflorum), which covers
the ground with a carpet of rich green foliage, studded
with snow-white, three-petalled blossoms. Apart from
its own beauty, it serves as a protection to the Liliums
during the early months of the year.

Skirting the rough pathway, irregular drifts of the
Indian Primrose (P. sikkimensis) might be planted. In
May, and onwards for several weeks, the sheets of
yellow blossoms would make a beautiful picture between
the moss-grown stones. These Asiatic Primroses, which
come to us from the wet mountain slopes of the Himal-
ayas, are seen at their best in the bog garden. P. denti-
culata would prove equally at home, spreading its tufts
of leaves and large clusters of lilac flowers in the spring
sunshine. P. japonica grows rampantly in moist spots,
and bears no resemblance to the same plant struggling
for existence in a dry garden border. P. rosea, small
but charming, and P. capitata, with flowers of a wonder-
ful purple shade powdered with white, would occupy
the sides of slight knolls. A corner must also be found
for the Bird's Eye Primrose (P. farinosa) bearing its
dainty lilac blossoms above rosettes of silvery leaves.
In a sheltered corner near a few rough stones it is
delightful.

Now that we are approaching the pools and softest
ground, Osmunda will form a fitting background to the
many small bog plants that we must take care to include.
This noble fern will attain a height of six feet or more,
when its roots can spread freely in moist, porous soil.
Spleenwort (Asplenium), Nephrodium, and the North

BOG AND MARSH GARDENS 73

American Sensitive Fern (Onoclea) are other suitable
forms.

Quaint and interesting flowers there are in abundance,
as well as those of real beauty. The Marsh Helleborine,
for instance, with purplish flowers and handsome foli-
age, the Marsh Orchis (O. latifolia) and O. foliosa.
The Habenarias, orchids from North America, would
do well in damp corners. One of the best is H. fimbriata.
All these plants look best grown in somewhat isolated
clumps, and afford a striking contrast to flowers of
simpler habit. Cypripedium spectabile, already referred
to, deserves a well-shaded, peaty hollow entirely to
itself: it is too good a plant to mix singly with others.
Sarracenia purpurea, with its blood-veined trumpet leaves
and sinister aspect, might be taken as the evil genius of
the bog garden, a plant of ill-omen, from which some
deadly potion might be brewed. It is quite hardy, and
belongs to the family of Pitcher -plants. The Fritil-
laries, natives of our English water-meadows, would
soon become established in grassy patches near the
stream.

On the mossy ground around the pools and in
crevices between the stepping - stones, the Sundews
(Drosera) would be quite at home. On beds of
Sphagnum they thrive splendidly. A few tufts of
Cotton Grass (Eriophorum), so plentiful on the brown
bogs of Ireland, should not be omitted. Of Heaths,
there is the Marsh Heather (E. Tetralix) and E.
hybrida, a beautiful variety flowering through the winter
and early spring. From the stream sides of the Sierra
Nevada comes a charming Saxifrage, S. peltata, unique
as to its target-like leaves and loose clusters of pale pink
flowers. The Rockfoils are not particular as to treat-
ment, and several other kinds, including the native
S. granulata, might be grown in the drier portions of
the bog. Soldanellas, Pinguiculas, Parnassia, and the

74 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

Bog Asphodel (Narthecium) will, if irregularly grouped,
lend interest and charm to the smaller colonies.

Close beside one of the small pools we must have a
patch of the Bog Arum (Calla palustria), a small trailing
plant with delicate white spathes. It increases rapidly,
and may be associated with a plant or two of the
Golden Club (Orontium), which blooms profusely in
early summer. During the dull, cheerless days of late
winter, the golden-yellow Pilewort (Ficaria grandiflora),
seen from a distance, looks almost like a rift of sun-
shine on the neutral tinted bog. Such plants as this
and the Marsh Marigold, in no sense rarities, could ill
be spared.

Though the best form of bog garden is the outcome
of judicious treatment of marshy ground, stream sides,
and the wet margins of ponds, the absence of these
natural features need not debar us from growing bog
plants. Artificial bog gardens, though somewhat costly
to construct, may be found in places at high elevation.
In fact, a large amount of interest and pleasure may be
evoked by a small garden, only a few feet square. I
have seen miniature bog gardens, charming in their way,
which have been formed in disused fountain basins,
though as a rule the position occupied by these — lawn
centres and highly cultivated parts — renders them
unsuitable. The bog garden should be situated in
semi-wild surroundings, and for its due appreciation
the eye should have lately contemplated natural effects,
such as a woodland path or the grouping of wild
plants by the meadowside. Therefore, before decid-
ing on a position, we should endeavour to secure
a site, the approaches to which betray few signs of
cultivation.

Simple gardens, varying in size with the means and
inclinations of the owner, may be formed on ground
which has a slight incline. On the level it is always

BOG AND MARSH GARDENS 75

difficult to provide the requisite drainage. Plants will
not thrive in stagnant water.

The usual method of constructing artificial bog
gardens is by digging out the soil to a depth of eighteen
inches, thereby making a shallow basin. The basin is
then rendered watertight by a lining either of brick-
work or concrete. To quite small gardens it is
possible to supply water by hand, in those of larger
size pipes connected with a supply tank or reservoir
will be needed. Nothing is more satisfactory than a
constant steady trickle of water through the bog garden,
and for this reason an automatic arrangement is
preferable to any other. A small outlet pipe or valve
should be fixed at the lowest point in the basin, so that
the bog may be completely drained if necessary. At
eight inches from the top of the basin an outlet in the
side will permit of the surplus water trickling away.
Of course the "basin" may be of any shape, the more
irregular the better, there being no need whatever to
make it circular.

Having made watertight the site of the proposed
garden, and provided for the inlet and outlet of water,
we may prepare for planting. First cover the bottom
with six inches of broken bricks and rough material to
act as drainage, and upon this lay a good depth of peat
soil. The surface should be rendered uneven by
suitable knolls, small plateaus and depressions, rough
blocks of stone being used to keep the soil in place.
The wettest parts will naturally be found where there
is least depth of soil ; the driest on the mounds and
small rocky eminences. In a short time the stones will
be covered with mosses and small ferns ; the constant
dampness too, will cause myriad tiny growths to spread
a filmy veil of green over bare rock and black soil.

Larger bog gardens cannot be concreted, but must
depend upon a steady flow of water, with branch drains,

;6 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

to provide the necessary moisture. Such gardens are,
however, very costly to build, and require great skill to
prevent their looking unnatural and out of place.

Once planted, the bog garden requires little attention,
and increases in interest and beauty as the plants become
firmly established and seed themselves. From time to
time it will be necessary to check the more vigorous
growers, or to clear away the mosses from some tender
seedling which is in danger of being crowded-out in the
struggle for existence. For the rest, we may leave the
plants to re-group and arrange themselves, always
certain that from January to December, even in the
smallest bog garden, we shall not seek pleasure in vain.

CHAPTER X

LILY TANKS

THE work of the garden architect is generally
condemned by lovers of the simpler and more natural
forms of plant arrangement. In a climate such as ours
the use of over-much stonework in the shape of
statuary, fountains, vases and balustrading has little to
recommend it. But if the designer will give us tanks
and sunk basins, in which to grow Lilies and other
plants, we cannot feel too grateful. Were it not for
tanks, water gardening would be impossible for the many
whose grounds do not contain natural ponds or streams.

Apart, too, from the pleasure which even a small
collection of aquatics will afford, there is something
truly suggestive in the sunken basin, set like a mirror,
to reflect on its calm water surface changing cloud
pictures or the lines of some old, moss-grown building.

In designing tanks the first thought should be to
ensure the utmost simplicity, both in the surroundings
and in whatever architectural work may be necessary.
Artificial substitutes for stone are now so cheap that
florid kerbs, angle piers, balustrades and vases may be
employed at little more expense than would be
occasioned by the use of an absolutely plain margin of
the genuine material. In the old gardens of Italy the
prodigal use of stone work is justified, not only on
account of its suitability to the climate and mode of
living, but because the designs were almost invariably
good and pure.

77

78 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

The shape of garden tanks will necessarily be deter-
mined by the situation for which they are designed.
Speaking generally, however, the more severe their
outline, the better. Nothing can exceed in suitability
a rectangular basin, with a broad coping of wrought
stone, set in a framework of turf. If the pool is in view
of the house, it may be necessary to slightly amplify the
design, so that it may not appear inharmonious with the
lines of the building. A good effect may be obtained
by forming the ends into the shape of a Moorish arch,
the bays being deeply recessed. So long as the outline
is bold and dignified, enabling the eye to grasp the whole
scheme at a glance, a satisfactory appearance is practically
certain. It is the scalloped edges, the sinuous curves and
raised parapets, that disfigure so many of the creations of
the garden architect.

Garden tanks are often set in dreary expanses of
gravelled walk, or at the meeting of several pathways.
Many of these are in kitchen gardens, and have formerly
served the useful purpose of supplying soft water for
greenhouses and vegetables generally. The worst of
these places is that there is no possible inducement to
remain for more than a minute or so. Be the lilies never
so fine, we lose altogether the sense of peace and stillness
that rightly belongs to the garden ; we can never feel
alone.

An ideal position for the simplest form of garden tank
would be the centre of a rectangular court, a brick or
stone-walled enclosure with a doorway at either end.
Here would be assured a degree of warmth and shelter
that would make it a pleasant spot for reading or work-
ing, even in the early days of the year. A grass margin
would fittingly surround the fiat kerb, whilst clumps of
Irises, Shrubby Spiraeas, Cannas, Paeonies, Funkias, Lilies,
and bold foliage plants, could be grouped in masses
behind. On the wall, what opportunities for growing

LILY TANKS 79

some of the handsome forms of Clematis, Magnolia,
Roses, and sweet-scented Jasmine ! Truly beautiful
would be this garden picture when the surface of the
pool scintillated with the jewelled forms of the hybrid
Nymphaeas — ruby, topaz and silver.

It is a common idea that tanks must be built of con-
siderable depth, and that unless protected by a low wall
or parapet they are dangerous. For this reason hundreds
of garden pools have been emptied and filled-in with
soil. Only in exceptional cases is it necessary for the
tank to be more than two and a half or three feet deep,
this being ample for the class of plants that will find a
home there. It is a good plan to excavate the soil to a
greater depth in the middle than at the sides ; a shallow
ledge round the margin will keep the roots of the water
plants from spreading towards the walls. Most lilies
and other aquatics look better if kept somewhat in the
centre of artificial basins, and are more effective if
entirely surrounded by water than crowded against
the walls and corners.

Deep tanks have a further disadvantage in that they
are seldom properly filled. Nothing looks more un-
sightly than a tank in which the water scarcely rises
half way. The walls cast a heavy shadow over the
surface, the plants are unhealthy, and the water cold.
Besides, the lily-tank should form a definite note in
the scheme of design, a centre which inspires the
arrangement of plant grouping around. Sunken water
surfaces are useless as reflectors, and are lacking in
those colour values which in sunlight are so precious.
Even in quite large tanks the distance between the top
of the kerb and the water-line should not be more
than two feet; in smaller basins twelve inches is
sufficient.

If the ground surrounding sunk tanks has an upward
slope it should be laid out in a succession of terraces.

8o ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

This is especially important where there is a wide margin
of turf. Nothing looks worse than a grass slope falling
abruptly to the water's edge. Such an arrangement is
fraught with danger, the use of a mowing-machine is
rendered difficult, and, most important, breadths of shaven
turf set at sharp angles are utterly wrong in principle.
By connecting the various levels by short flights of steps,
and substituting walls of rough stone or brick for the
grass slopes, a much better effect will be gained. A
skilled mason is not required to construct such walls,
which may be built of the cheapest materials, the crevices
furnished with wall and rock plants. In garden courts
abrupt changes of level are to be preferred to monotonous
slopes and easy gradients ; we gain then the charm of
variety, and open up endless possibilities in the way of
colour and shadow effects.

In more elaborate lily-tanks, such as may fittingly
occupy the centre of a formal court of some archi-
tectural pretension, steps should actually lead into
the water itself. A flight of broad, but shallow, stone
stairs at either end of the tank cannot fail to greatly
enhance its beauty. Their presence is a direct invitation
to view the lilies more closely — a note of intimacy, which
suggests that the water garden is made for our particular
pleasure and interest. High copings and balustrades act
as barriers, and prevent the jewelled water surface from
forming any close relationship with its surrounding
features. Some may argue that steps leading into water,
even continuing their way beneath the surface, are an
absurdity ; in this case, however, pictorial value far over-
rules any utilitarian principles. We have only to remember
a flight of weed-stained steps, the boat landing of some
sleepy quay side, or the broad and spacious stairway,
white and sunlit, which dips into a Venetian lagoon, to
realise the idea more closely.

Tanks which form part of some architectural scheme

LILY TANKS 81

should be planted only with the best kinds of Water-
Lilies, whose formality and clearness of outline exactly fits
them for such places. In the beds around should be
grouped plants of stately foliage and somewhat stiff habit
— Cannas, admirable both as to their well-shaped leaves
and gorgeous flower-spikes, Madonna Lilies, Salvia
patens, Funkias, especially F. Sieboldi, Irises of sorts,
and the cool green of Harts-tongue. Free-growing
herbaceous plants must be excluded in this instance ;
however well adapted they may be as a setting for the
quiet pool in the homely manor garden, they will be as
weeds in the almost tropical brilliance of the formal Lily-
Court.

CHAPTER XI

WATER-LILIES

As the rose to the flower garden, so is the Lily to our
lakes and ponds. In the summer stillness of some reed-
fringed backwater, the crowning note of beauty will be
found in a fleet of Lilies moored by hidden cables. Who
can forget the sight of the creamy cups sparkling with
the morning dew, as the sun scatters the dawn mists from
the surface of some placid lake ? Or in the blue mystery
of night, when the folded flowers shine like silver lamps
to guide our boat through the shadows. If water gardens
existed but for the sake of this one flower, they would
be worth all the love and labour in our power to bestow.
And yet Water-Lilies are much neglected. For them
it is worth clearing and cleaning the hundreds of weed-

frown ponds, which at present disfigure numberless
nglish gardens. Small tanks and tubs might be prepared
for their reception : the possession of even a few square
feet of water surface should be an excuse for growing
plants of the hardy kinds.

Perhaps the fallacy that Water-Lilies, as a family, are
extremely delicate, is difficult to explode. The fact that
they flower freely in lakes and ponds, which in winter
are thickly covered with ice, should in itself be sufficient
to dispel any such prejudice. Certain of the American
varieties require warm and sheltered quarters, but even
in exposed situations the available list is by no means
small.

No doubt, years ago, variety of colouring was lacking
82

WATER-LILIES 83

but now that the skill of M. Latour-Marliac has resulted
in so many new forms, Water-Lilies range through shades
of carmine to palest rose, from saffron-yellow to purple
and soft vermilion. It is almost certain that a blue Lily
will yet float on the surface of English ponds, though the
probable parents of such a hybrid are natives of tropical
countries.

In spite of the beauty of flower and leaf as displayed
by even the commonest forms, Water-Lilies owe much
of their charm to suitable surroundings and graceful
grouping. On natural pieces of water they should
always be planted close in-shore, so that they may be
appreciated without trouble from the bank. A sheltered
bay, surrounded by flowering reeds and with wooded
margins, would be an ideal spot for a few good patches.
Sunshine is essential, but in an exposed position they
rarely look their best. Absolute tranquillity seems
necessary in order to realise their full charm ; on the
mirrored surface of a sunlit pool, each bloom stands out
clear cut and delicate.

There is something in the sculptured form of this
flower that particularly fits it for association with water
gardens of a formal type. In large places the possession
of a small Lily-Court, with sunk tank and enclosing walls
of masonry, will provide a picture of supreme beauty.
The lines of stone curbing and the various classic styles
of architecture which harmonise but ill with many of our
native plants, accord in the highest degree with the chaste
simplicity of the Lily leaf and flower. If the large sums
which are wasted on incongruous fountains and water
jets, could be applied to the formation of simple Lily-
Courts, a vast amount of interest and pleasure would be
aroused at half the cost.

An advantage of tanks over ponds and streams, consists
in the ease with which the plants may be looked after.
Not only can growth be curtailed and overcrowding

84 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

checked, but the roots may be furnished with just such
soil as is conducive to healthy development and free
flowering. In many cases the mud in ponds and lakes
is exceedingly poor in character; improvement in this
direction being difficult, if not impossible. As a
consequence, the crop of bloom decreases annually,
whilst leaf growth is correspondingly coarse and rampant.

As a rule the more vigorous growers should be reserved
for ponds and open water, as the Lily petioles should be
allowed to attain their full length, and the plants are
impatient of over-much restraint. The smaller kinds
will thrive in tanks and artificial basins, where a depth
of from two to three feet of water can be secured. In
case of frost, it is advisable that the crowns shall be
at least twelve inches below the surface during the
winter.

The best time for planting is April or May, at which
time the tubers can be obtained from nurserymen and
specialists. For planting in the open, it is sufficient to
tie the roots to a fair-sized stone or piece of iron piping,
lowering them into suitable quarters near the pond side.
If the mud bottom is of only slight depth, or clay
puddling has been resorted to, the roots should be
supplied with some strong loam in which to strike. An
easy way is to pack them in soil in old baskets, lowering
them into position : by the time the baskets have rotted,
the roots will have fastened themselves securely into the
mud.

In artificial tanks and basins, the bottom can be
covered with a foot of good loamy soil mixed with manure
before the water is admitted. Planting under such
conditions is easy and certain. A thorough cleaning of
the sides and brickwork should always precede Lily
planting, as old neglected tanks are generally foul and dirty.

In former chapters suggestions have been given as to
the grouping of Lilies in various water gardens ; it now

WATER-LILIES 85

remains to indicate the chief varieties from which a
selection may be made.

Nymphaea alba (White Water-Lily). This is the
beautiful flower which occurs naturally on many lakes
and ponds. Flowering freely in late spring and early
summer, it should be planted on large sheets of water in
positions where bold effects are desired.

The following are included in the same section : —

Nymphaea a. candidissima. The fine, pure white
flowers of this variety are remarkably handsome, and are
produced freely throughout the summer. It does best
in a considerable depth of water, and is not suitable
for shallow, cramped positions. Plenissima, with its
numerous pure white petals, is a good double form.

Nymphaea odorata (Sweet Water-Lily). A native of
North America ; the flowers white and sweetly scented.
Included amongst its varieties are several beautiful kinds.
N. o. rosacea, with small, rosy flowers, is a gem. N. o.
sulphurea has deliciously scented flowers of a delicate
yellow, with rich golden stamens ; the leaves are
marbled a brownish red. This variety is distinct by
reason of its slender, tapering petals. Grandiflora is
larger than the foregoing, the leaves quaintly spotted
with red on the underside.

Nymphaea tuberosa. So called from its thick mass of
fleshy roots, is a large-flowered white Lily of American
origin. Of vigorous habit and readily increased by
division, it is well suited to large, somewhat exposed
pieces of water. The flowers, over six inches across,
are freely produced during late summer and autumn.
Rubra, in addition to its delicate scent, has magnifi-
cent rosy-carmine petals, and light orange stamens.
Richardsoni, a double white form, possesses the true
globe shape of the perfect Water-Lily. Rosea is an
early-flowering kind.

Nymphaea pygmaea, the Siberian Lily, is the smallest

86 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

of all. The white flowers, barely two inches across, are
produced very early, and look especially well resting on
the dainty leaf plates. Helvola is one of M. Latour-
Marliac's seedlings, and is distinct not only for its pale
yellow flowers, but for the brown blotched leaves, spotted
underneath with red. As a few inches of water over the
crowns suffice, it is valuable for tubs and basins.

Nymphaea flava (Florida Water-Lily). The roots of
this variety are fibrous, and the straggling growths are
produced somewhat like runners. Charming as it
appears to be in its native haunts, it is too delicate for
our climate, except in very warm and sheltered localities.

Nymphaea sphaerocarpa. This is often regarded as a
variety of N. alba, and is similar in shape. It blooms
early, even in cold seasons, the flowers being a soft
shade of carmine.

We now come to the beautiful hybrids, which are
associated with the name of M. Latour-Marliac. They
represent the highest development of the Water-Lily,
and whilst exhibiting an almost tropical range of colour-
ing, are remarkably hardy.

N. Marliacea albida. This magnificent flower is the
queen of white Water-Lilies. Single blooms frequently
measure eight or nine inches across. The petals are
milk white, the stamens rich golden-yellow, whilst the
leaves, a bright reddish purple when young, change
later to a deep glossy green.

N. M. carnea. The bases of the petals are tinged
with flesh pink : fragrant.

N. M. rosea. Deep rosy pink in colour : the flowers
large and of good shape.

N. M. chromatella (Canary Water-Lily). This is one
of the finest. The petals are sulphur-yellow, shading
to a deeper tinge. The leaves form an admirable setting
to the flowers, being a distinct red, blotched with dark
maroon.

WATER-LILIES 87

N. M. flammea. Truly beautiful, with its vinous
stamens and white petals flaked with red. The colour-
ing varies somewhat in different plants, but is always
distinct and vivid.

N. M. ignea. The petals of this variety are of a rich
crimson hue, forming a marked contrast to the orange
stamens and rose-tipped sepals. A plant or two should
be in every collection.

N. M. rubro-punctata. The large flowers at first
sight appear a reddish carmine, revealing on closer
inspection delicately marbled petals, and sepals stained
with lilac, with an olive-green backing. The stamens
are orange-red.

The foregoing are the giants of the race, and require for
their perfect development ample space and a good depth
of water — not less than five feet. Growth is so robust
that it is useless to cramp them in small ponds.

For those whose water gardens are restricted in size,
the Laydekeri section offers many charming forms. In
shallow pools, fountain basins, and tanks they display
their beauty to great advantage.

N. Laydekeri fulgens. A small but glorious flower.
On a sunny day the glowing amaranth cups, each holding
a bunch of fiery stamens, form a picture not easily
surpassed.

N. Laydekeri fulva. The leaves are mottled with
brownish patches ; the flowers a warm cream, marked
with red.

N. Laydekeri liliacea. This is quite a small lily,
scarcely more than two inches in diameter when fully
expanded. The stamens are yellow and the petals a
silvery lilac. It is one of the daintiest in the whole group.

N. Laydekeri purpurata. Deep, rosy-crimson petals,
with clusters of vivid orange-scarlet stamens. The
flowers are particularly well shaped.

N. Laydekeri lucida. This is a splendid variety.

88 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

The flowers are of a rich vermilion hue, with deeper
shading towards the centre; the petals tipped with
white. The leaves are marbled with chestnut markings.

N. Laydekeri rosea. This hybrid is one of the most
difficult to propagate, and is usually increased by seed-
ing. The small, rosy flowers, passing to white at the
petal ends, are produced in great abundance.

The following hybrids are deliciously fragrant and
are suited to small tanks and tubs. They should be
grown by those who are obliged to make the best of
small opportunities in the way of Lily culture.

N. odorata exquisita. A deep shade of rosy pink,
becoming almost crimson at the base of the petals.

N. odorata minor. A small, white Lily, found in New
Jersey.

N. odorata caroliniana. The flowers of this hybrid
are pale pink, the reputed parents being N. o. rosea and
N. alba candidissima. Nivea, a white variety, and per-
fecta, with large, flesh-coloured flowers, are other desir-
able forms.

Where space permits, a plant or two of the following
should be included in the collection. Though men-
tioned last, they contain some of the finest Water-Lilies
in existence.

N. Robinsoni. This is one of the best of M. Latour-
Marliac's raising. The flowers are large and of a deep
rose or lustrous crimson colour. The petals are
suffused with white and the stamens are bright orange.
It is quite distinct and exceptionally beautiful.

N. gloriosa. Generally considered one of the finest
of the Marliacean productions. The colour is a brilliant
rose, and the possession of five sepals, instead of the
customary four, gives a much greater spread to the
fully-opened flowers.

N. sanguinea. Deep carmine petals, with vivid
orange-red stamens.

WATER-LILIES 89

N. lucida. The petals shade from blush rose down
to a soft, deep red at the base. The leaves are marbled
with maroon. This is a particularly fine Lily.

Altogether humbler than the above, and yet possess-
ing a charm of its own, the Nuphar family deserves
mention. For wild water gardens containing mainly
native plants, a patch of the common Yellow Water-
Lily (N. lutea) is effective. A smaller variety, known
as minima, occurs in Scotland. Much finer, and with
bold, erect leaves, the North American Water-Lily (N.
advena) should be freely planted in ponds or lakes
where the depth of water does not exceed three feet.

CHAPTER XII

AQUATICS AND BOG PLANTS

THE following lists of plants suitable for water and bog
gardens will doubtless be of assistance to those who are
in any difficulty as to selection. If many beautiful and
interesting kinds are omitted, it is that, from an embarras
de richesse, space can only be found for a moderate
number. In any case, a collection formed of the whole
or greater part of the plants enumerated, could not be
considered other than typical 5 only in very large gardens
could more be included.

PLANTS FOR WATER MARGINS

The following are mostly of noble growth, and are
chiefly valuable for their fine foliage: —

Gunnera scabra.
G. manicata.
Rheum Emodi.
R. palmatum.
Carex pendula.
Osmunda regalis.

Heracleum giganteum.
H. mantegazzianum.
Arundo donax.
Gynerium argenteum.
Equisetum Telmateia.
Bamboos.

Flowering plants for massing by the waterside : —

Iris Kaempferi.
I. sibirica.
Spiraea gigantea.
S. astilboides.
S. Lindleyana.
S. palmata.

90

Lythrum Salicaria.
Lysimachia vulgaris.
Bupthalmum speciosum.
Thalictrum aquilegifolium.
Senecio japonicus.
Polygonum sachalinense.
Petasites vulgaris.

AQUATICS AND BOG PLANTS 91

If larger grouping is needed near the waterside, some
of the moisture-loving shrubs will probably be found
useful. The following do well : —

Halesia tetraptera.
Cydonia vulgaris.

Dogwoods.
Viburnum opulus.

Rhododendrons.

AQUATICS

Plants which are suitable for pond and stream margins,
the roots being under water. These include flowering
sedges, rushes and reeds : —

Butomus umbellatus.
Acorus calamus.
Menyanthes trifoliata.
Iris pseudo-acorus.
Richardia aethiopica.

Typha latifolia.
T. angustifolia.
Scirpus lacustris.
Rumex hydrolapathum.
Alisma Plantago.

Phragmites communis.
The following should be used for deeper water : —

Stratiotes aloides.
Hottonia palustris.
Pontederia cordata.

Villarsia nymphaeoides.
Ranunculus aquatilis.
Sagittaria sagittifolia.

Chief among aquatics are the several forms of the hardy
Nymphaeas, suitable for water of varying depths. These
beautiful flowers are dealt with in the chapter on Water-
Lilies, so that it is unnecessary to recapitulate the different
varieties here.

PLANTS FOR BOG AND MARSH GARDENS
In tubs : —
Nymphaea pygmaea. Aponogeton distachyon.

N. Helvola.

Butomus palustris.

In small bog pools : —
Orontium aquaticum. | Calla palustris,

92 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS

In the wettest bog margins : —

Ficaria grandiflora.
Drosera rotundifolia.
Eriophorum polystachyon.
Parnassia palustris.
Pinguicula grandiflora.
Primula sikkimensis.

Caltha

Myositis palustris.
Onoclea sensibilis.
Asplenium.

Nephrodium Thelipteris.
Osmunda.

Struthiopteris germanica.
palustris.

For the drier parts of the bog garden the following
would be suitable : —

Primula rosea.
P. farinosa.
P. involucrata.
P. capitata.
Habenaria fimbriata.
Sarracenia purpurea.
Dentaria digitata.
Mimulus luteus.
Hellonias bullata.

Narthecium

Erica Tetralix.
E. hybrida.
Saxifraga peltata.
S. granulata.
Orchis foliosa.
O. latifolia.
Dielytra spectabilis.
Gentiana asclepiadea.
G. bavarica.
ossifragum.

In well-shaded positions: —

Cypripedium spectabile.
Trillium grandiflorum.

Epigaea repens.
Sanguinaria canadensis.

Plants of larger habit, useful for bolder groups :—

Astilbe rivularis. Meconopsis Wallichiana.

Xerophyllumasphodeloides. Galax aphylla.

Lilies in cool, peaty hollows : —

Lilium superbum.
L. canadense.

Lilium giganteum
L. pardalinum.

INDEX

ALPINE gardens, situation of, 19.
Alpines, at high altitudes, 25.

blue flowered, 22.

collections of, 18.

hardiness of, 7.

soil for, 19.

Anemones, alpine, 22.
Aquatics, 91.

for natiTe stream, 57.

Artificial rockwork, 12.
Aubrietias, 35.

BLUE flowers, rock bulbs with, 31.
Bog gardens, artificial, 74, 75.

plants for, 92.

Bog plants, 68, 73.

dwarf, 66.

grouping, 70.

Bog pools, plants for, 91.
Broom, 49.

Bulbous plants, in rock garden, 27.
various, 32.

CAMPANULAS, alpine, 26.
Court, a garden, 78.

DAPHNE, varieties, 47.
Dry walling, 15.

FERNS, alpine, 24.

for bog garden, 72.

GARDENS, wild water, 52.
Gaultheria, 48.
Genista, 50.
Gentians, alpine, 21.
Grouping, examples of, 36.

HEATHS, 46.

IRISES, rock garden, 28, 29.

LATOUR-MARLIAC, M., 83.
Lavender, 50.

Lilies, in bog garden, 71, 92.
Liliums, in rock garden, 33.
Lily-Court, a, 81, 83.

MARSH gardens, plants for, 91.
Mountain plants, 3.

NARCISSI, rock garden, 30.
Nymphaea, hybrids, 86.

Laydekeri group, 87.

Tarieties, 85.

PATHS, arrangement of, 54.

— near stream, 53.
Pathways, in bog garden, 69.
Plants, foliage, 56.
Poplars, 59.
Primulas, 72.

RHODODENDRONS, dwarf alpine, 48.
" Rockeries," ugly, i, 9.
"Rockery," difference between

rock garden and, 2.
Rock garden, arrangement of

stones in, 5.
Rock garden, grouping in the, 34.

paths, 1 6.

site for, 6, 8, 9.

Rock gardens, elevation in, 13.

on banks, 10.

overcrowding in, 3.

water in, 8.

Rock plants, depth of soil for, 4.

94 INDEX

Roch plants, families oi, 37. •
Rock roses, 49.
Rocks, in Nature, 14.

SAXIFRAGES, alpine, 23.
Scillas, varieties of, 30.
Shade, bog plants in, 92.
Shrubs, moisture-loving, 91.

trailing, 51.

value of rock, 45.

Snowdrops, 32.
Spiraeas, 71.
Stepping-stones, 69.
Steps, 17.

into lily tank, 80.

Stones, method of setting, 15.

TANKS, 77.

Tanks, depth of, 79.

positions for, 78.

Trees, for waterside, 58.
Tubs, 62.

aquatics for, 65, 91.

Tulips, objections to, 32.
Turf, alpines in, 20.

VEGETATION, stream-side, 55.

WATER garden, exampleof small, 61.
Water-lilies, planting, 84.

positions for, 83.

soil for, 84.

Water-lily, blue, 83.
Water margins, plants for, 90.
Water supply, 64.
Willows, 59.

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The Outlook — "A pleasant and instructive account of the manner in
which Mr Roberts transformed a Cornish Wilderness into a garden fair.
He is particular to give the exact names of the plants employed. This
will be found of great assistance to any one who undertakes a similarly en-
chanting but difficult task. . . . Gossipy, instructive ; prettily illustrated."

The Bookman — " We have awakened to the charms of garden literature
during the last few years, and this volume, telling of the gradual beautify-
ing of a neglected, overgrown plot, deserves the attention of our new
enthusiasm. It is written with grace and knowledge, and will please as
well as teach."

The Spectator—" Mr Roberts' experiences will be found useful. Useful
or no, they are pleasantly told. A brief preface tells us where and how he
set to work, and then he takes us through the months from January, and
shows us each garlanded with her peculiar flower or flowers."

The Gentlewoman — "Dr Harry Roberts carries us to a particular
corner of the kingdom in ' The Chronicle of a Cornish Garden,' a book
penned with much charm by a genuine nature-lover."

The Daily Mail — " His book shows that he possesses not only extensive
garden lore, but also a rarer quality, considerable literary style, and other
books from his pen will be welcomed."

The Manchester Guardian—11 Pleasantly written, and practical without
being tedious. . . . The illustrations by Mr Griggs of an ideal garden are
in good taste and suggest a quiet, old-world pleasance."

The Scotsman — " These papers are not only well founded in knowledge
and observation, but also well written, and such as gardeners will take a
pleasure in going over."

The Pibt—"Mr Roberts' knowledge of botany is another merit of his
work. The interest arising from learning the secrets of the plants adds
considerably to the pleasures of a garden. The book certainly should be
included in the excellent list of garden literature which Mr Roberts gives
at the end of his book."

RETURN TO the circulation desk of any
University of California Library
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