A Small Piece of History About Rock Gardens

Both rock and water were old established garden features a long time before someone thought of having lawns, flower beds or borders. Thousands of years ago the very first Japanese garden was not anything more than an expanse of white stone chippings with a single Cleyera tree in the centre and the Ancient Persian 'paradise' had an extended 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 fairly recently however, they were primarily only for the wealthy. Before the later part of the 19th century, rocks were used to make very bold structures in large estates and it was not until the middle of the 20th century that water gardens and fountain construction became easy enough and affordable enough for the ordinary landscaper.

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

They can extend for a few square feet or more than 1 / 4 of an acre and both provide the opportunity to grow a wide range of plants not found in your ordinary, every-day garden. The drawbacks they share are that careful preparation is required and a considerable amount of labour and money is needed for its creation. Through the latter part of the 19th century the age of the larger rock garden was all but over. In 1772 the 2nd period of rock gardens began, a garden of rubble and Icelandic basaltic lava was fashioned inside a greenhouse at Chelsea Physic Garden for the cultivation 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 beginning, although rock gardens were created at various sites all around Britain and the notion of laying stones to provide the feel of a natural outcrop was created. Things changed in the 1860's and the rock garden at last took its place as a very significant 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 create private and non-private rock gardens throughout the nation. The three decades from 1900 to 1939 were the heyday of the rock garden. Reginald Farrer was the foremost figure and his 'My Rock Garden' book became the first bible on the subject.

Plant hunters scoured the mountains all over the world searching for new alpine plants and the rock garden at Wisley was started in 1911. In the years prior to World War II interest in the rock garden plumeted. Only recently has there been a reappearance.

Through the 1920's and 1930's the thought of growing alpines in non-rock situations took root, this coupled with the birth of the garden centre in the second half of the 20th century brought about the third period in this history. People began to see the full range of plants which are obtainable along with all kinds of easy and cheaper methods for cultivating alpines without having to build 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.

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