A Small Piece Of History About Rock Gardens

Together rock and water were old established garden features way before anybody considered having lawns, flower beds or borders. Many hundreds of years ago the very first Japanese garden was nothing more than an stretch of white stone chippings with one Cleyera tree in the centre and the Ancient Persian 'paradise' had a long canal and fountains at its heart.

The attraction was very easy to see, these two elements bring a natural feel to any type of surroundings. Until quite recently however, they were primarily simply for the rich. Before the latter part of the 19th century, rocks were used to form very bold structures in large estates but it wasn't until the middle of the 20th century that ponds and fountain construction became straightforward enough and economical enough for the run of the mill landscape gardener.

It has taken a very long time, but both rock and water gardening have finally come of age. There is now enormous interest in all aspects of the water garden. Rock garden plants are grown in great numbers, the range available these days in both rockeries and rock-free conditions is immense. I find it interesting that both these natural elements have several features in common.

They may extend for a few square feet or in excess of 1 / 4 of an acre and both provide the chance to grow a vast range of plants not found in the ordinary, every-day garden. The drawbacks that they share are that careful groundwork is required and a considerable quantity of labour and money is needed for their creation. By the latter part of the 19th century the age of the larger rock garden was all but over. In 1772 the second period of rock gardens began, a garden of rubble and Icelandic basaltic lava was fashioned inside a greenhouse at Chelsea Physic Garden for the development of plants collected from the Swiss Alps. Here the rocks were used as a home for plants rather than to provide just an ornamental feature. This second period got off to a slow start, although rock gardens were created at various sites all around Britain and the notion of laying stones to give the appearance of a natural outcrop was created. Things changed during the 1860's and the rock garden at last took its place as a very important part of the British garden. Rockeries were built at Kew Gardens in 1867 and in Edinburgh in 1871.

In 1870 William Robinson's Alpine Flowers for English Gardens was published. During this period and into the early 20th century Pulhamite Stone was manufactured in Broxbourne in Hertfordshire and used to produce public and private rock gardens throughout the nation. The three decades from 1900 to 1939 were the glory days of the rock garden. Reginald Farrer was the principal figure and his 'My Rock Garden' book became the very first bible on this subject.

Plant hunters scoured the mountains all over the world in search of new alpine plants and the rock garden at Wisley was started in 1911. In the years before World War II interest in the rock garden declined. Only recently has there been a resurgence.

Through the 1920's and 1930's the thought of growing alpines in non-rock situations took root, this coupled with the appearance of the garden centre in the 2nd half of the 20th century produced about the third period in this history. People began to see the complete range of plants which are available together with all sorts of easy and inexpensive methods for cultivating alpines without having to erect a rockery. Interest then switched to the plants and away from the rock structures, and this is the key feature of this third period in the history of rock gardening.