Summer Bloom in Rock Gardens

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23269, 11 February 1939, Page 10 (Supplement)

Summer Bloom in Rock Gardens

Surprisingly Larg,e Ran&e of Choice

F midsummer and autumn the glor-

foraging through the hole of the pot into the soil below, to be brokea off when lifted. Make a deep hole, fill it full of water, allow that to soak away, then plant. It is a wise precaution to provide shade for the plants during the first few days—a branch of evergreen shrub stuck in the soil on the sunny side is excellent. By these methods great improvements are wrought in the interest, beauty and gaiety of the summer rock garden. The range of midsummer and late summer flowering rock plants is surprisingly large. Two of the most valuable are Achillea Lewisii and Erodium hybridum roseum. Both are hybrids, and setting no seed keep flowering from spring until autumn in a sterilo effort to do so. Androsace Lanuginosa trails down any slope of light loam, "the silky, silvery leaves, and heads of bloom appear in autumn like a refined verbena. Then there is the willow gentian, G. asclepiadea with archecl wands of sapphire trumpets. In March comes G. Farreri with white-t'liroated blooms of Cainbridge blue,, and later still, G. sinoornata, the sapphire trumpets lasting a long time. The best of all sea pinks, Armeria vindictive, oltten gives a second crop of its crimson flower heads in late summer, as also does the Geum Borisii when grown in' good soil, is seldom out pf flower from spring until

ies of the rock garden are apt to fade away. In spring and early summer •there is a riot of colour. It is all so easy with such plants as aubretia* phlox subulata-, saxifrages, and alyssums making a magic carpet. But in later summer there is always a falling away of colour and interest. Although there are more jock and alpine plants which naturally flower in spring, yet there are many which will flower in the later months. During their flowering season it is as well to give a thought to their introduction. The ideal and most practical way is to review the rock garden during January, February and March and then after each of these reviews pay a visit' to a nursery specialising in rock plants. Choose those plants that are in flower that take your fancy and plant at once. Most alpine and rock plants in a good nursery are grown in small pots and may be planted with perfect safety even in the height of summer. A few simple precautions can be taken in the hottest weather. Make sure that the pot-grown alpines are ■well established in their pots, and further, that tap roots have not gone

autumn. Many of the campanulas carry on their flowering well into January and February. Hypericum olympicum is a grand plant for midsummer. Give it sun and light soil among the rocks and it will flower with the utmost freedom. Sedum spurium is a good-natured stone-crop which will grow in any soil or aspect. If you have a bad spot in the rock garden with little sun and poor soil, Sedum spurium is the plant to brighten it up for the summer.