Rock and Landscaping

By rock garden we mean a garden or part of a garden in which some plants that can tolerate shade and can flourish even in dry conditions are grown by making a small or big heap of pebbles, stones and soil under a big shady tree. Although making such heaps under trees is harmful for them, yet it can make the landscape more beautiful. Although the method of making a rock garden under a tree is popular in India, but its purpose is fulfilled only when it is made away from the shade under the tree. How to make a rock garden and how to manage it is mentioned below-

Selection of place

The first and most important requirement in the construction of a rock garden is the selection of the place. For their construction, places with open sunlight are chosen because the species grown in the rock garden wither in too much shade. The place should be in an open place and at a distance from trees, houses and buildings. But this place should be uneven. The land should have proper drainage, away from traditional gardens and big trees. Natural beauty will be felt in the rock garden made in such circumstances. The garden should be protected from shade-loving trees because their hungry roots consume the water and nutrients available to the plant. The roots of big trees absorb moisture from a radius of 13 or 17 meters. If it is necessary to plant big trees, then arrangements should be made to protect them. For this, a 1.5 meter deep trench should be dug at a distance of 12 meters between two big trees. So that the suckers and roots of the plant do not cause trouble in the garden. The trench should be filled with cement composition.

If a low place is chosen for the garden, then proper drainage should be arranged for the drainage of excess water. If the place is in the form of a basin and is prone to reservoir from rain water, then additional drainage should be arranged. If heavy soil has been used for filling, then it will be necessary to install pipes in it. If the filling is done with light soil, then small pieces of stone should be laid at the bottom. It will be very beneficial to construct a permanent pond. Aquatic plants and fish can be reared in permanent water.

A place should be selected where there is a slight slope in the ground. If such a place is not available, then irregular shaped beds or heaps should be made. The heaps should not be more than 60-90 cm high.

The rock garden should be natural as far as possible. The rock garden can be small or big. Which depends on the availability of space. In a small garden where sufficient space is not available for building a proper rock garden, herbaceous or shrubby border can be made on the edge. In which alpine trees can be planted in the rocks.

It is very important to make arrangements to protect the rock garden from strong winds. Alpine trees should be planted for lower plants because they grow densely. The rock garden should be towards the east. Shade seeking plants should be provided shade of big rocks and spreading bushes.

Round Rock and Gardening

Rocks

Placement of rocks is an important factor in the construction of a rock garden. Such rocks should be selected which look attractive. But their selection depends on local supply.

Stone rocks are divided into two parts by experts –

1. Stratified - Stratified rocks are best for beds which are laid in horizontal layers. While laying them, keep in mind that their effect should be natural. Limestone and sandstone are suitable for this work.

2. unstratified – unstratified rocks would be difficult to obtain as they would have to be brought from far away and would cost a lot.

Where the use of boulders is possible, however, plants do not grow there. For hobbyists, it is beneficial to use local rocks. Such rocks are found to be similar. They show unnatural effects. Brick-bats and pieces of old masonry can also be used to get a natural effect. Rocks should be used according to the size of the garden. Large rocks should not be used in small gardens.

The rock should be of one type and massive in nature. The stones should be dug from the hill side so that they can provide a natural effect.

Soil

Rocks Plants cannot grow completely on rocks. Therefore, soil is absolutely necessary for their growth. Soil with proper drainage is good for growing plants. According to Mooney, whatever medium is available should be used. He recommends the following best planting mix -

Leaf mould or peat - 1 part

Sand - 1 part

Turf mould - 2 parts

This mix helps in establishment of plants grown in rocks and later makes it suitable for the roots of the plants to spread in heavy natural soil.

Sand, limestone chippings or peat should be added to make a good medium. For systems grown in the Himalayas, a small amount of lime should also be added. If the soil selected for the rock garden is hard clayey, then Phillips has given the following suggestions to make it suitable for rock garden:

• The rock garden should be built above the ground level and proper drainage should also be arranged in it.

• Appropriate work should be done to carefully drain out the surface water to avoid the system of laying underground pipes.

• A pond should be constructed in the lower part.

Mansfield suggested that for the improvement of heavy clay soil, a layer of brick pieces 37 cm thick should be laid below the surface. Later it should be filled with ash and burnt soil or sand.

Light, well-drained soil that has the capacity to retain water is beneficial for most plant growth. A soil with sand, abundant leaf compost, organic matter and cow dung manure is best for rock garden.

Sub soil should also be well-drained and capable of absorbing unlimited water. Where such facilities are not available, sandy or clayey sub soil should be arranged. When you are going to lay out the rock garden, spread organic manure on the land every year.

Different types of soils are found in the mountainous regions of India, such as laterite, red or black soil, mountain soil and alluviums.

Sandy loam soils are found in the foothills of the Himalayas, which are dominated by raw humus, dark to brownish black in colour. The hills of West Bengal have clayey soils which are rich in nitrogen and are acidic.

The Himalayan region consists entirely of mountain soils and hill soils which are of the following types:

(a) Silty loam to loamy brown soils.

(b) Light brown to brown containing fragments of stones, rocks and boulders, sandy loam to loam or loam to silty loam and light to dark brown.

Mostly sub montane and forest and hilly type in Jammu and Kashmir, which is clay loam to loam, has high amount of nitrogen, found in forest or near them areas but less amount of nitrogen is found in soil affected by soil erosion.

Pyramid Rock Gardening

Layout

Making a complete layout is very important task before setting up a rock garden. The layout should be made in such a way that it looks natural. The layout of the front and backyard of the house should be the same (harmonious). If the rocks are in the form of borders then grasses or foliage should be grown in them in the grassland. The trees and shrubs in the backyard should not be beautiful in foliage or flowering. Keep in mind that the focus should be on the rock garden and not on the backyard.

The specialty of rock gardens should be kept in mind because they are made for a long time and not like other gardens. Hence, their planning should be done after a lot of thought. Before making the plan, the site should be inspected so that the hills or rocks there can be studied. Apart from this, the places where plants are to be grown can also be seen. General ideas can be made for the slopes where plants are to be grown.

After carefully preparing the layout and detailed information of the garden, the land should be dug up to 30-45 cm. A layer of rough rubble should be laid so that water can drain easily. Then it should be covered with lawn soil from above so that the upper layer of the soil is saved from flowing away. A layer of well-prepared soil should be laid on top of it.

For convenience, the work should be started from the lower point. Fectis, crevices and earth terrace should be made to grow various rock plants. These structures can be small or large. The marking sculpture turnings should be placed in a horizontal or vertical position. The path of large areas should be covered with soil dug 30 cm deep and the roots of perennial weeds should also not remain in it. Later peat and some quantity of fertilizers should be added to it.

The general fertilizer mixture is mentioned below-

Ammonium sulphate - 2 parts

Urea - 1 part

Super phosphate - 8 parts

Potassium sulphate - 3 parts

This mixture should be given to the bushes as top dressing in March. Make a mixture by dissolving 0.5 liters of ammonium sulphate in 10 liters of water or 30 grams of urea should be dissolved in 10 liters of water and given to each plant in May-June.

Planting

If the rock garden is made in spring, then the plants should be planted after the first monsoon rain because at this time the soil becomes completely wet. Secondly, if the rock garden is made in autumn, then planting should be started in spring after the rains of December. Sometimes, there are problems in growing chinks on the rocks and due to which the plants are not able to give a good effect. To avoid this problem, planting should be done at the time of construction of the rock garden and if this is not possible, the plants should be kept in bunches in the chinks, which should be removed later and the desired plants should be planted. Distance is of special importance in the rock garden, as is the case in other gardens also. Therefore, dense plants should not be planted. When planting, keep in mind that they should get enough space to grow. Small and slow growing plants should not be planted too close.

Rock garden plants get well established in pockets, crevices etc. Once they are established, it becomes difficult to uproot them. Hence, proper variety of plants should be selected very carefully. Small creeping plants should be planted in pairs of 2 or 3 stones. If there is a big gap, the plants grow well in it. Typical types of plants are grown in crevices but they should not be grown in clay soil, but should be kept in subsoil (30-45 cm below the surface), especially in sloping areas as the roots of these plants require adequate aeration.

Fresh manure and fertilizers should not be given to rock garden plants. When to plant plants in rock garden is a very important question. They should be planted at such a time when it is the time of active growth. Hence, plants should never be planted in dry weather. Especially after planting alpine plants, it should be filled with pebbles and stone chippings so that excessive evaporation can be stopped.

Before planting the plants, it should be kept in mind that there should be good knowledge of growing them. Hence, fast growing and vigorous plants should be grown. So that they can get open space and abundant sunlight. Shade loving plants should be grown in the shade.

According to Mansfield, the plants which get scorched should be planted towards the northern slope and the plants which can tolerate long sunlight should be planted on the southern slope.

Punk Rock Gardening

Open environment is the main aspect for planting plants in rock gardens. Selection of the following plants will prove helpful for this-

Shady position (Sunny Position)-

Abelia

Allium

Alyssum

Antirhinum

Aquilagia

Arabis

Bistorta

Campunela

Cassiope

Dianthus

Erysimum

Gaillardia

Galium

Helichrysum

Hypericum

Linaria

Narcissus

Neptea

Oxygraphis

Potentilla

Shady Position —

Anaphalis

Aquilagia

Asperula

Astilbe

Campanula

cremanthodium

iris

Mazus

Mertensia

oxalis

Primula

Pterocephalus

Scutellaria

On the slopes -

Anchus

Androsace

Antennaria

Artemisia

Cicerbita

Corydalis

Dubyaea

Lagotis

Primula

Saxifraga

Youngiya

In crevices -

Adiantum

Androsace

Asplenium

Cardamine

Ceterbita

Ceterach

Christocolea

Cortia

Crepis

Dianthus

Dubyaea

Enkianthus

Erythrichum

Galium

Iris

Polygonum

Potentilla

Sedum

Selaginella

Moist Site -

Astilbe

Barleria

Gaultheria

Mertensia

Polemonium

Primula

Selaginella

Dry Site -

Adiantum

Anchusa

Arabis

Asplenium

Aster

Dianthus

Enkianthus

Helichrysum

Iris

Lagotis

Linaria

Oxygraphis

Psychrogeton

Pteris

Scabiosa

Sedum

Chrysum

The following plants should be given priority in any garden -

Yellow Flowered -

Adonis

Alyssum

Anaphalis

armebia

Aster

Barbarca

Berberi

Bupleurum

Corydalis

Erysimum

hieraceum

Hypericum

iris

Leontopodium

Narcissus

oxalis

Potentilla

Salvia

sedum

Thyrsalis

Trollius

Tulipa

Purple Flowered—

Androsace

Anemone

Atirrhinum

Erigeron

Lilium

Nepeta

Oxitropism

prenanthus

Pseudomortensia

Scilla

senecio

Silene

What Is Rock Gardening Easter Island

Blue Flowered -

Aconitum

Allium

Aquilegia

Asyneuma

Aster

Campanula

Chionocharis

Condopsis

cynanthus

delphinium

Gentian

Lagotis

Lindelofia

meconopsis

Mertemon

Myosotis

Penstemon

Perovskia

viola

Mauve Flowered –

Campanula argyrotricha

Christocolea crassifolia

Colchicum luteum

Gueldenstaedtia himalaica

Jaeschkia

Oxytropis capponica

Phaeonchium

Paved Garden –

Acaena

Alyssum

Antennaria

Arabic

Arenaria

Calamintha

campunula

Cotula

Dryas

Erynus

Erodium

Frankenia

Gypsophila

Helixine

Linaria.

Mimulus

Mauritius

Paronychia

polygonum

Sagina

Sedura

Silene

Thymus

Veronica

Care

Care of rock gardens is divided into three parts i.e. spring, summer and autumn. Vegetative growth of plants takes place in spring. Hence, their general cleaning is necessary. First of all, plant protection measures should be taken to prevent pests and diseases on the branches. If new branches have snails and scales, they should be protected. Sometimes, the plants are affected by fungal diseases such as downy mildew and damping off. Dusting of sulphur should be done to prevent damping off. Seed pans or boxes should be thoroughly washed with chestnut compounds. Bordeaux mixture should be sprayed to prevent rust. Nicotine should be sprayed to prevent Champa. Weeds should also be removed to prevent them from producing seeds. Liver worts and mosses grow in sour and poorly drained areas. Potassium permanganate mixed water should be used to remove them.

Where underground irrigation is impossible, water should be given early and abundantly in the first summer so that the roots of the plants can go deep. Watering should not be done through hose pipe otherwise soil erosion will occur. A fine nozzle should be used for irrigation. Different plants require different water requirements. For example, Rhododendron and Azalea require more water in hot season. Rhododendron is an acid loving plant.

Lilies should be grown in wet cold soil. It is advisable to keep them in cold frame and they should be planted in May. Narcissus needs deep loamy soil with good drainage as it spreads rapidly on the soil. Plants should not be planted in soil that has been treated with fresh manure as they are susceptible to fungal diseases. The flowers are yellow, orange to white and varieties produce single and double flowers.

Rhizomes and bulbs should be protected from cold as they are unable to tolerate cold.

All herbs require open sunlight. Hence they should not be planted facing north and should not be grown in the shade of trees as they are prone to weed growth and will easily grow in ordinary garden soil. Annual plants should be sown with fresh seeds where necessary.

This treatment should be done for biennials. However, perennials require special attention as they are grown from seeds, cuttings and division of plants.

Shrubs, once well established, do not require special attention as they flower at different periods.

The garden should be cleaned thoroughly in late spring and light top dressing at this time is very beneficial. Generally the following mixture should be used for top dressing-

Good soil (decontaminated) - one part

Fine sand - one part

Peat or rotten leaves - 1/4 part

Before use, all these should be mixed well and sieved.

Weeds should be removed throughout the summer which can be uprooted with the help of a weeder and the soil should be dug from time to time with the help of a fork. At this time, tubers, stolons and roots should be separated. At the same time, old and dead branches and flowers should also be removed. The best time to plant freshly formed buds and stolons is spring.

After pruning, lindane should be sprayed. Pesticides should be used in the following manner-

For shrubs-

Malathion 10 CC in 10 liters of water.

Parathion 0.1 percent.

For leafy and flowering plants-

Spray 5% or 10 CC dissolved in 10 liters of water.