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

American Rock Gardens

As the rocks are laid in place, firmly locked and embedded, all freshly broken sides and the faces originally discolored by the soil should be turned in out of sight; and the weathered, mossy, and lichened areas turned to view.

FIG. 5.—ROCK STEPS

This gives the appearance of age and stability, but calls forth another complaint from your suffering workmen at your continued suggestions. If a stone rests best with broken face outward and mossy surface buried, why change it about? The only explanation I can give is that I am fussy and insist on its being changed about.

For the first part of the back fill of soil, the original soil of the site can be used (unless clay), but the last six to eight inches of soil below the finished surface should be of the special prepared mixture. This should be well rammed, pounded, pushed into every crevice, layer, and pocket with stone chips and pebbles put in for further drainage. With so loose a soil (mostly sand, pebbles, and fibre) there is no danger of pounding it too compactly; and rain and frost should not move it about much. A final layer of an inch of sand or shredded peat may be put on as a finishing touch, not so much for the neat effect as to keep out germinating weeds.

If the pockets are to be planted at once, the soil must be well watered, with great care to avoid washing the soil and loosening the rocks. It is best to wait several months from the time of construction to planting (summer construction and next spring planting), giving nature a chance to pass judgment on the new scenery before vegetation is added thereon. Also the weeds which got in during the building will show themselves and may be wholly excavated and eradicated while the pockets are otherwise empty.

Planting

THREE chapters done and not a plant set out; this rock garden treatise is mostly about rocks. So a house in first phases of construction is mostly concrete, bricks, lumber, and nails. After the building of the rockwork is properly completed, we may forget that wholly, for its part will be done efficiently without further thought, and all our attention henceforth may be given to plants.

There may be said to be three sizes of rock plants in relation to time and manner of placing in the pockets. There are small shrubs and large field-grown clumps of sturdy herbs (as *Moss Phlox or Megasea Saxifrage) which are best planted when the rocks are laid in place, the roots of each being spread out and drawn back as much as possible, and soil, chinkers, and the next rock being laid upon them.