ROCKERY

Photo: The beaches around Inishowen have a fine display of natural coastal alpine plants.

The first house I lived in away from the security of my parents was a small terraced house (typically northern English – think Coronation Street). The front door was straight out onto the pavement and finding a parking space was a constant battle, (I got into trouble with my neighbours many a time as my car was longer than the front of my house.) The rear garden was about the size of an average kitchen and I decided a small rockery would be in keeping with the size of the plot. I needed to add sharp sand to the soil to loosen it up a bit, and then I could start placing some choice rocks into place. I was working for a quarry at the time and had no bother ordering 1 tonne of sand and 1 tonne of rocks. The loader at the quarry as well as the driver both thought they were doing me a great favour by loading the 10 tonne lorry to capacity (5 tonnes of sand and 5 tonnes of rocks). The driver then proceeded to dump the load outside the front of my house (and of course, the neighbours) causing parking spaces as well as tempers to be lost. I used 1 tonne of each as I’d planned, then placed some recently acquired bollards around the remaining pile. I advertised the lot free to collect in the local paper, but no takers. For two years until I finally moved house, the heap was used as a meeting place for local kids with BMX bikes and the local dogs made good use of it too!

Planning a Rockery

Alpines look effective in containers or even hanging baskets, I even have a succulent sedum that has been happily growing on a brick for years. If you’re feeling more adventurous though and plan to build a rockery in the garden then there are a few points to note:A rock garden should be planted in the open where it will get a lot of sun, preferably sloping towards the direction that the sun shines at midday. Build the rockery away from overshadowing buildings or trees that will rob the soil. The falling leaves and moisture dripping on the plants may damage or kill off the plants. After saying that, shrubs and small trees can form a good backdrop for a rock garden. The rock to be used is as important as the plants, use one type of stone. Local stone will be more natural and will fit in well with the surroundings; it may be cheaper to deliver too. Try to plan the rockery to one side of your garden not in the middle, it will look better. Rocks should retain soil and keep the plant roots cool, so bury them firmly, with at least one third of their bulk in the ground, and pack the soil tightly around them. Ensure the strata (lines) of each rock goes in the same direction and tilt the rocks backwards slightly to allow water to run back to the plants. Try to arrange the rocks in a natural looking way, I find a trip to the shoreline or the hills a great place for getting inspiration. Like most garden work there will be some trial and error until the finished masterpiece is achieved.

Horticultural.