All kinds of corners are obvious sites for ornamental treatment with tiny gardens—architectural corners between front entrance and house wall, between one wing of the house and another; the back corner of a lot where, perhaps, a small tree is a focal point or background or where, if you’re fortunate, a small stream winds its way across your property.
On almost any grounds there are natural nooks that seem to be made for miniature gardens up and down the sides of informal steps, at the top or base of low walls, in a patch of soil at the foot of a high-branched tree.
Landscape or architectural focal points can often be enhanced by little gardens—gates, bay windows, sundials, the mailbox, a birdbath, or a well. Little pocket-handkerchief gardens are built right into patios and terraces. Little creepers planted in crevices between paving stones make a miniature garden of their own.
CHAPTER 11
MINIATURE ROCK AND WALL GARDENS
Anyone who can live and garden in a place like our part of Connecticut without going overboard for rocks and rock-loving plants has more self-control than I. My bewitchment began one Sunday afternoon when, the weekend’s weeding done, I strolled up toward the small wild-flower plantings in “the point.” Just beyond the garage, before the trees began to cut off the sun, I stopped to glare at an ugly, erupting mound of soil and stones that had frustrated our every attempt to make this area more attractive.
I was pondering the monstrosity, when I noticed an intriguing detail. A partly submerged rock poking its head out of one side of the mound had the same color and patina as a snub-nosed piece sticking out the other side; and the lines of stratification were on the same slant. Could these be opposite ends of one continuous rock formation?
Five wheelbarrow-loads of rocky debris later, we had uncovered a beautiful boulder, perfectly placed so that its lines led gracefully into twin trunks of a wind-blown birch. It was a boulder with ancient age and character, artistically chiseled by the elements. And it said “rock garden” as plainly as any landscape plan.
This five-foot-long discovery may not be miniature; and the naturalistic kind of planting it inspired is neither practical nor suitable for many home grounds. But it was my introduction to rock plants, and to how effectively rocks and plants combine; and it led me to create and watch for rock gardens that are miniature, practical, and suitable for all kinds of grounds. Sometimes I think these are the most enchanting little gardens of all.
If they are to look like anything better than a pile of stones, miniature rock and wall gardens are not composed of miniature rocks. They simply contain fewer, perhaps somewhat smaller, rocks than average gardens; and they occupy far less space. These small plant-and-rock compositions brighten nooks and corners where other plantings would seem out of place.