The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Rockweler Rockgardens

Watering should, of course, be regularly attended to, but it will be found that the cinders, while providing excellent drainage, will remain moist for a long time after each watering. I have not yet had an opportunity to try the new peat pots for this purpose, but anticipate good results with them. In planting, the pot is put into the ground along with the plant, as the roots grow into the pot wall; when moist, they can be pressed or squeezed into any shape desired, making it possible to fit them into pockets or crevices between stones.

The right time for dividing most of the rock plants is immediately after their flowering period. Saxifrages, campanulas, aubrietias, and a host of others are easily handled in this way, the parent plant either being carefully cut or torn apart, a section of the old plant, or rooted runners, being secured for each division.

PROPAGATION BY LAYERING

Many of the rock plants which are of running or of creeping habit, such as the creeping thymes, phlox subulata, and so forth,may easily be induced to form nice little new plants by the simple process of layering, or fastening down the creeping shoots, first making a slight cut or incision on the under side, and covering with peatmoss and sand.

If small pots, two or two-and-a-half inches, filled with this mixture, are placed under the incisions, the new roots will be confined, and nice little ready-potted plants secured, which will stand transplanting readily. The runners may be held in place by a bit of stone, or fastened down with a hairpin, clothespin, or a sizable twig cut with a hook at one end.

PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS

Many amateurs fail in their efforts to propagate rock plants by means of cuttings, first because they try to make the cuttings from old, hard wood which is worthless for this purpose, and secondly, because they do not provide conditions suitable for inducing the formation of roots.