Springtime In The Rock Garden

Press, Volume C, Issue 29625, 22 September 1961, Page 6

Springtime In The Rock Garden

Spring is one of the best seasons of the year for the rock gardener, for there are dowers in abundance, and .nterest beyond measure. If you want to be inoculated with enthusiasm for rock plants this is the time to do it Just spend half an hour wandering round a good rock garden, and the inoculation will have been carried out! There is an insidious charm about these little plants. Some of the earliestflowering rock plants have already flowered and gone. Crocuses, bulbous irises, villas, chionodoxas, some early tulip species and others, mainly bulbous sorts. But the bulk of the blossom is just here in some of the warmer gardens, and will only be slightly delayed on the flat, despite the somewhat late season generally. But if you do your ha’f-hour's wandering with a note book, as most good gardeners do, don't forget that there are summer md autumn flowering sorts.

too, and these need to be included in any planting that is to give complete satisfaction.

Plants in flower now depend on your district, of course. The following sorts were seen in a warm garden a few days ago, and so may be slightly ahead of other areas. Tulips are in bloom already, and one of the most striking is Tulipa Fosteriana, “Red Emperor,” or “Madame Lefebre,” as it is more correctly known. Large blooms of vermilion scarlet, up to j four or five inches long, and ' with a black and yellow eye at the base, it catches everyone’s attention on its relai tively short, stems." Tulipa saxatilis is an unusual colour combination of lilac-pink with a yellow blotch at the base, and it loves a warm, sun-baked position. Tulipa kaufmanniana is often aptly called the water-lily tulip.

for its blooms open wide in a similar fashion when planted in a sunny spot. The inside is a primrose-yellow colour, whilst the outside is streaked with red. There are many miniature daffodil and narcissus varieties and species. Narcissus bulbocodium is one of the commonest and most delightful, and is commonly called the “hoop petticoat narcissus" due to its shape. There are many others closely allied, and they increase well for most gardeners. Amongst named narcissus sorts, available from specialist nurserymen, are treasures such as “February Gold," “Little Gentleman,” Capexplenus, Rip van Winkle —these last two are doubles “Beryl,” and many others. They all make excellent little clumps. Perhaps the primulas are amongst the most useful for splashes of colour. Most gardeners know the variety “Wanda,” with its dark, red-disn-ournle flowers, so fre=lv

produced. But there are many others, which > need only a semi-shaded and somewhat moist spot for success. "Garryarde Guinevere” is an elegant name for an elegant plant—it is a primula with purple tinted foliage and short-stemmed flowers of pale pink. “Jack-in-the-green" is most unusual, with a miniature collar of leaves around the flower. Primula deticulata has rounded, drumhead flowers of mauve, and is sometimes even available from the chain stores. Other plants for shady spots are the different sorts of anemone (except the cut-flower types, which need sun) and their allies? hepatica and pulsatilla. The pulsatillas have lovely flowers of blue, with furry hairs on the outside, whilst the evergreen hepaticas have blooms of strong blue or red. Underneath shrubs anemones such as nemorosa are delight-

ful although they are not freely available. Saxifrages are lovely plants where they succeed, but 1 should not be given too warm or dry a position. Their attraction is as much in the ; leaf as the flower, particularly with varieties such as ’ cochlearis —tiny little leaves —or pyramidalis, with large roseties of strap-shaped leaves. In favoured gardens with just the right conditions the Kabschia saxifrages are glorious weleomers of spring, with their large flowers on short stems. Perhaps the most appeali ing group to many gardeners t are the dwarf irises, which i grow only six or eight inches i tall. They are delightful plants with their shades of 1 yellow, blue, cream and white, to all intents just like : the larger types which flower in November. "Orange Glint,” “Azurea,” “April Morn,” “Dream Child” and “Stormy Dawn” are delightful varieties with delightful names

The last variety is most unusual, with powder-blue standards, and grey falls with purplish-brown blotches and veining on them. In a rock garden or by the side of a small pool they look fine. The mossy phlox are excellent for carpeting effects, but they are normally Octo-ber-flowering on the flat. A grand old variety is the pale pink “Camla,” with large blooms on three or four-inch stems. Completely prostrate are the varieties “Nelsoni” (white), “Sampson” (rose pink), and “Vivid" (bright pink). These plants are evergreen and completely smother themselves with bloom. Aubretia is often grown in the rock garden, but is often rather vigorous for many of

the slower-growing and choice plants. But they are excellent for spring bloom, and should therefore be restricted to edges, where they can spill over on to pathways, or be given an area to themselves with other strong growing but delightful plants. But this is but a small proportion of the attractive plants available. Once you start growing them you never stop. Mrs J. H. Hannan, 157 Hackthorne road, Christchurch, is the secretary of the Canterbury Alpine Garden Society, and would be pleased to welcome you as a member.