ROCK GARDENS
Rock Wall Gardens
2
Shop for Wall Fountains
These should be in layers;
the individual ties being some six feet apart
in the layer, and one layer eighteen inches
above the other, care being taken to have
the centers of the stones of the rock gardens
above between those of the ones below, or,
in other words, the stones should be staggered.
This structure serves to keep the wall secure
and firm. The stones should be long in proportion
to their height, and are best when their
upper surfaces are flat or even cupped. When
placed in position they should be inclined
slightly backwards, so that they are lower
at the back than at the front, the larger
and more weighty stones being kept at the
base of the wall; the rain will then be collected
and drained into the soil at the back of
the wall to furnish moisture for the roots.
No cement is used, but earth is rammed firmly
into the crevices between the stones, sufficient
mould being used to keep the stones about
one inch apart, vertically; the greater the
slope of the wall, the greater the amount
of soil that may be used between the stones.
This soil must be rammed well in to the back
of the wall so that there is mould from the
very front right though to the earth supporting
the wall at the back. In addition, the earth
should be well firmed after each row of stones
has been laid, and no "air-pockets" must
be left in the crevices. A mixture of good
loam, cow-manure, and leaf-mould makes the
best compost for the wall garden. The first
essential is to provide a good foundation
for the wall; this should be about ten inches
deep and a shade wider than the base of the
wall. Here the earth 'is rammed well down
until a solid footing is provided. Now lay
the first layer of stones, using the largest
available, and place them so that their upper
sides form one straight, horizontal line.
If the stones are of moderate size, the gaps
left laterally between them may be about
two inches; the smaller the stones, the smaller
the gaps between them. Next pack the vertical
crevices between the stones very tightly
with the compost of good loam and cow-thing.
On this is placed the next row of stones,
properly bonded as explained above. The wall
should not be built exactly vertical, but
the top should incline slightly backward
at an angle of about one in six, that is
to say, in a wall three feet high the base
will project six inches farther forward than
the top. It is thus firmer and easier to
plant. The top of the wall is best left flat
so that the rain may soak through. The above
remarks, of course, apply to the single wall
within rock gardens, but when the wall
is not to be used as a "retainer" (to
support a bank), and where space will permit,
there is no reason why the wall should not
be "double" and have a face on
both sides, each sloping inward towards the
top. The space between the two walls would
be filled with earth to
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