In the first place, we have at least a hundred wild flowers that we may have to grow on rockeries which are among the world's great treasures. Here again, the flowers are not always native to rocks, yet in every case there is some reason why we cannot expect large, permanent results from them in ordinary garden conditions. Most of them you can grow in woods, if you are fortunate enough to own any; but how many of us do? A thousand can afford a rockery for one who can have a bit of woods.
Wild red columbine
This is certainly a superb list — enough to inspire any one to build a rockery where these treasures may flourish for years.
THE MIST AT THE RIGHT IS PRODUCED BY THOUSANDS OF LITTLE WHITE FLOWERS OF HEUCHERA MICRANTHA, AN AMERICAN FLOWER. YELLOW FLAX AT THE LEFT. FOR ANOTHER HEUCHERA SEE PLATE 80.
THE WRONG WAY TO MAKE AN ALPINE GARDEN IS TO USE MANY LARGE ROCKS, LEAVE TOO MUCH OF THEM ABOVE GROUND, AND EXPOSE FRESHLY BROKEN SURFACES INSTEAD OF WEATHERED AND MOSSY ONES.
A TYPICAL ENGLISH ROCK GARDEN, SHOWING A GREAT VARIETY OF ALPINE FLOWERS. NOTE ALSO THE FOXGLOVES AT THE UPPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER OF THE PICTURE. MR. FREMLIN, WATERINGBURY, KENT. See page 66.
And please remember that there is no longer any excuse for robbing nature of these lovely plants. Every one of them can now be secured from nurseries or in the form of seed.