MORAINE OR SCREE GARDEN

Evening Star, Issue 23620, 5 July 1940, Page 10

MORAINE OR SCREE GARDEN

HOW TO MAKE IT Nowadays, nearly ' every garden owner is sure to have a rock garden of some kind, which is generally planted with the commoner and more easilygrown rock plants (writes the’ ‘ Dominion’s ’ garden . The pleasure provided - by - the- ■ beauty -of

these l ' accommodating little -flowers is certain to arouse the! gardener’s internet in alpine plants, and the desire to grow, some of the more qncornmon ones will follow. , A. moraine, or scree bed, ■ ofany size is the short cut to success in their cultivation.. ' r The i first -thing to be done is t* excavate the site to a depth of 3ft. thep fill in the bottom’to a depth or 12in with large, rough: stones, broken bricks, or any clean, hard, material available.; This first bedding with rough stones is important, as it ensures good drainage, and thorough drainage i* essential in making a moraine: On top of this drainage,bed put » layer about 6in deep, of'smaller stones or pieces "of brick; theee should average roughly about 2in in diameter and their object is to prevent, the true moraine mixture of fine chips and soil from working down between the largs stones, and clogging the free drainage of the bed. 'A: satisfactory mixture for the last lift of the moraine is composed of five parts fine stone chips and one part good teafmould. The chips, required are those used so much at present for surfacing roads. Sandstone or limestone chips are reputed to give best results, but the, nature of the stona does not appear to matter very, much in actual practice. After the bed is filled with the above mixture,, larK« stones should be put in it to act a* stepping stories, and to give an effect of naturalness to its appearance. Do not place the stones too regularly and make sure that they are perfectly firm. If the bases of these stones are sunk deeply in the stony soil,'.they help tba growth of many plants, roots of which run under them, in search of coolness and moisture in summer, and for; protection from cold and’damp in winter-