Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The Life Mag

GARDENERS seem to love them or hate them. I'm talking about rock gardens and as someone who rather likes them I was surprised to see gardening personality Chris Beardshaw say on a recent television programme that he really disliked them.

I have an ally, however, in top horticulturist Kathryn Bradley- Hole whose splendid book 'Stone, Rock and Gravel' contains detailed instructions for building and planting a rock garden.

'Wherever stone is abundant it can be put to good use in the garden,' she writes. 'When used well it enhances our connection with the natural world and the garden's sense of place in its surroundings.'

Once you have identified a suitable site for your garden you need to choose your rocks.

Try to blend them in with the local landscape, selecting stone from the immediate environment.

Local quarries may have piles of stones rejected by the building industry but suitable for gardens. Reclamation yards can also be profitable hunting grounds.

Once you have ordered your rocks ensure your site is prepared so you can get them in place as soon as they are delivered.

Your site should be as open, bright and sunny as possible. A sloping site is ideal as this gives better drainage and looks more natural.

Don't despair if you only have a shady area, just select plants that prefer that particular environment, such as ferns and woodland flowers.

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