Both rock and water were old established garden features way before anyone thought of having lawns, flower beds or borders. Thousands of years ago the first Japanese garden was nothing more than an expanse of white stone chippings with a single Cleyera tree at 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 kind of surroundings. Until quite recently however, they were the primarily for the wealthy. Before the latter part of the 19th century, rocks were used to create very bold structures in large estates and it was not until the middle of the 20th century that ponds and fountain construction became simple enough and economical enough for the ordinary gardener.
It has taken a long time, but both rock and water gardening have at last come of age. There is now enormous interest in all aspects of the water garden. Rock garden plants are grown in great numbers, the variety available these days in both rockeries and rock-free situations is immense. I find it interesting that both these natural elements have several features in common.
They can extend for a few square feet or more than a quarter of an acre, and both provide the opportunity to grow a vast range of plants not found in the ordinary, everyday garden. The drawbacks that they share are that careful and preparation are required and an appreciable amount of labour and money is required for their creation.
By the latter part of 19th century the age of the large rock garden was all but over. In 1772 the second period of rock gardens began, a garden of rubble and Icelandic basaltic lava was created 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 to provide just an ornamental feature.
This second period got off to a slow start, although rock gardens were created at various sites in Britain and the idea of laying stones to give the appearance of a natural outcrop was developed. Things changed in the 1860’s and the rock garden at last took its place as an 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 create public and private rock gardens throughout the country. The three decades from 1900 to 1939 were the heyday of the rock garden. Reginald Farrer was the leading figure and his ‘My Rock Garden’ book became the first bible on the subject.
Plant hunters scoured the mountains of the world looking 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 declined, only recently has there been a resurgence.
During the 1920’s and 1930’s the idea of growing alpines in non-rock situations took root, this coupled with the appearance 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 were available along with all sorts of easy and inexpensive ways for cultivating alpines without having to build a rockery.
So, interest 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.