HOW TO CONSTRUCT A ROCKERY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 131, 30 November 1939, Page 23

HOW TO CONSTRUCT A ROCKERY

The,..methods to be..adopted fpr.ttie making of: a rockery must depend largely upfin .the nature of. the -site an'd : .to. a. lesser..degree pn individual ideas. If ,the larid ; is Idyei a differeJat method must .be adopted frohi that where the rockery is to be made oh, a natural slope. There is, however, eri,e point which must be adhered to: the finished work should, as far as possible, look v like a natural outcrpp of rock. In every,case th,e rocks must be placed in- such. a way that they are firm.aod;.not , liable, to be dislodged whep. work is. being done, among, the plafits. the pockets... should be filled with,, gopd soil, well worked to a fair depths-plants have!. good, .gpil for,th^ir .jbqots, to wprk in—and,..tnade level; wjVh, if ahythink a slope towards the back... This last provision ensures that water does not escape over the front, leaving.J.lje. roots _ t pf.the plants in the same of .dFyhess as before watering.^ AAgthej^adyanijage of haying the pockets back is the soil is not Washed away of worked away.

alpine plants, the rocks affording th a necessary shelter for these plants, many of which are small and fragile. In practice all classes of plants may be and. are grown in rockeries^ and when judiciously placed the results are highly satisfactory.. When the rockery is to be made on the lever it is necessary to ensure adequate drainage. In all cases the outlines should be irregular and the pockets of different sizes and shapes and at varying heights. It will be necessary in building up f»bm the level to have a good supply of soil. Place the rocks firmly—most of the rock should be below the soil. The larger the rocks the better, as when small ones are used they are very liable to be displaced with any disturbance of the soil, and this cannot be avoided when the pockets are being forked over or dug in preparation for planting. # Anyone meditating the erection of a rockery could not do better than visit Riddiford Park at Lower Huit and inspect the rock garden there. The layout is excellent and when it has been weathered for a season or two it will be even better.