Abstract
THE art of growing plants among rocks disposed artistically is, perhaps, the highest form of gardening. It calls forth skill of an exceptional order, and provides a medium for expression of the highest sense of art. The Royal Horticultural Society and the Alpine Garden Society are therefore to be congratulated upon their very successful joint organization of a conference on rock garden matters, and an exhibition of tasteful grouping of alpine plants. The deliberations of this Conference, which took place at the Greycoat Street Hall on May 5-7, 1936, have now been published in book form by the Royal Horticultural Society (“Rock Gardens and Rock Plants.” London: from the Office of the Society, Vincent Square, S.W.I, pp. 171, 6s. net, 1936). Mr. F. J. Chittenden has edited this report of proceedings. Practical considerations were well to the fore. The utilization of natural slopes and of flat sites, the cultivation of difficult alpine plants, methods of propagation, the use of an alpine house, and other problems, were discussed. The history of rock gardens was outlined, and a very pleasing international atmosphere was introduced by the speakers who described rock gardening in South Africa (Miss Stanford), in Quebec (Mr. Cleveland Morgan) and in Southern California (Mr. W. Hertrich). The impression gained from the volume is that the artistic side of rock gardening could scarcely be improved, and that present-day practice is enlightened and highly skilled. There are abundant indications, however, in the papers and in the energetic and constructive discussion which followed them, that there is a field where a sympathetic man of science, working upon rock-garden problems, might furnish great contributions to practice, and satisfy many botanical questions which must at present be left unanswered.
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Rock Gardening. Nature 138, 1049 (1936). https://doi.org/10.1038/1381049a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1381049a0