Re: School rock garden

In a message dated 8/24/02 12:39:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time, mtalt@hort.net 
writes:

<< I'm sure there are a lot more plants - Claire, I know you've got or
 had a rock garden and probably can suggest better than I can. >>

If you are dealing with children, I could not add one thing to your list.  
This a very good list of tough plants that will grow in scree conditions.   
The water part is important as it the construction.  If you have some soil in 
there somewhere, the roots may find their way deeply and survive better, dry 
periods in scree for most plants require water.  Just what is wanted to be 
taught, I think I missed.  Grownups with skills kill most of the rock plants 
because they are growing away from their natural conditions and try hard as 
you might, in parts of the US we cannot duplicate those conditions.  Also the 
group of plants loosely called rock plants are from all continents so one 
garden cannot be created for all.  Some specialize.  The Brits invented the 
alpine house creating a place where conditions are controlled for these 
plants and to a very much lesser extent, you find some in the US.  They best 
of their skills produce plants in pots which rival the natural settings.

I have rocks everywhere including outcroppings that are huge and have cracks 
that grow some special plants (also many weeds which are stonger).  So I 
though this might be something that would be successful, rock gardening.  
Overtime, I have learned that the most desired and beloved plants die, they 
die right away or the spring after planting.  There is a famed poem by 
Arkwright on rock plants dying so having a group such as Marge has listed 
will give something that will not die while you experiment on what will live.

We have very humid periods in the summer which do in a lot, then those that 
need dry winters (can take almost any cold) and we cannot provide those so 
more are missing come spring.  The subject is quite interesting but New 
England and the East Coast are not the easiest places to find success with 
even the most common of rock plants.  It boils down to this, if you want to 
grow a class of these plants, you must construct space and environment 
especially for them.  

Our area is far better suited to perennial gardening and the choices are vast 
and the plants for the most part do not die wholesale.  The rock garden 
remains a challenge so is for someone who wants that challenge.  

I do have a rock garden and I can tell that it is the place where the 
greatest losses take place.  I leave along, now, a great many genera that are 
not suited to muggy summers and have learned which have a better chance.  
Even there, you have to find the essential sharp drainage and occasinally 
cover fully a plant that will not endure what is usually called winter wet.

Another class of rock plants are moraine plants which grow on what looks 
fairly drained sand or scree but there is water flowing beneath them.  Until 
you see these conditions with your own eyes, you cannot fully understand that 
constructing those conditions is virtually impossible for the home gardener.  
I first saw natural moraine last winter in Patagonia where glacial water 
erupts right out of the ground in places where plants are growing.  Having a 
look at the might of Mother Nature, one wonders why you would ever try this.  
Since I had never seen this, I might not have realized that this is more 
challenge than I want.  

In short, you need to find what will grow for you in your region or be 
prepared to reconstruct your garden.  The pictures are very inviting.

Claire Peplowski
NYS 4z

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