I spent part of the day weeding out an old rock garden by the side of the stone staircase that leads down to the terrace by our summer cottage. Grass from the small adjoining lawn had invaded the rockery, almost obliterating it. As I dug out the stubborn tufts of grass, exposed spots ripe for planting, I dreamed about what I would do if I had more time to install and tend the rock garden.
The situation is mostly sunny with a little dappled shade from the high branches of nearby trees. The sloping bed contains rocks of varying sizes, interspersed with soil pockets. Drainage is good–sometimes too good. In short, the old rockery is crying for some alpine plants.
My time at this place where I have stayed every summer of my life is limited to a total of a few weeks a year. Plants that succeed in the various garden beds here have to take care of themselves. Still…that is what alpine plants have adapted themselves to do. I can easily imagine some lewisias, with their rosettes of leaves and bright, daisy-like flowers. Small alpine cranesbill varieties, whose hardy geranium relatives do well on other parts of the property, are a possibility as well.
Winter will give me time to do more research on the topic. Next spring I will get started. The old rock garden deserves a new life.
For further information on rock gardening, go to the North American Rock Garden Society’s website, http://www.nargs.org. A good source for rock garden plants is Siskiyou Rare Plant Nursery at http://www.siskiyourareplantnursery.com.