To make your rock garden pleasing to the eye, you should seek out the greatest variety of plants. At the same time, you have to look at keeping a unified but not uniform effect. It is possible to make the planting too wild and unkempt, but more often a rock garden looks entirely too much dressed and too well tended to represent the moods of nature. There is a certain unity and plan in the arrangement of the wild flowers of the fields, and this intangible scheme should be your guide in planning the placing.

With all this striving for variety in unity, it is a good idea to keep the flower masses of the same date of bloom somewhat apart, getting fewer of the flower combinations than is planned for a flower border. The requirements of finished pictorial composition are less desired here, the effect being decidedly more toward the very uneven and picturesque, with the tenets of the art of manmade pictures as little in evidence as possible.

Further, each plant is to be enjoyed to a degree of itself, and it is distracting to have several adjoining pockets all in best bloom at once. Without making the arrangement spotty, it is better to stage the bloom of any week rather widely over the whole garden area, leaving each flower group set off by stones, wall fountains, garden water features, large waterfalls, and foliage with quite a patch of one plant and then no bloom for a distance, as often is the case in nature.

Yet companion crops, as tiny yellow Daffodils blooming in purple Aubrietia, are always desired and welcomed. It is hopeless to explain in words how to do it and yet not overdo each requirement. Not only do you want the interests of the plants well distributed over the area of the garden, but through the weeks of the year as well. Of course the climax of flower comes in the spring months; therefore, you must put a lot of thought into how you can much to maintain interest at other times of the year.

Many plants of evergreen foliage must be used, more than half the total planting being of this nature. Little bulbs may be added rather freely as second crop in the pockets, the bloom appearing before (or after) that of the major occupant of the pocket (or as companion bloom). Interest of foliage, as of Fern, Sempervivum, or Mossy Saxifrage; of habit, as tufted mats of Diapensia or irregular stems of Cotoneaster; or in fruits, as of Cornus canadensis, can always be employed to carry on the pictures when flowers are absent.

A garden of this nature, when devoid of interest with items such as large water features, outdoor fountains, or garden statuary, indicates a poor play on the part of the planner. Yet, in the zeal of getting a wide distribution of interests both in position and time of appearance, don't forget to produce striking flower effects at times. Use special plants for accent and attract attention to these by their own charm and their placing.

A patch of Gentiana verna is a magnificent solo requiring no orchestra of other spring flowers, nor do Primula luteola, Cyclamen count, or Viola pedata need any helpers in presenting their message. Iris cristata may walk about and mingle its bloom with that of Phlox douglasii. Yellow Alyssum, White Iberis, Pink Arabis, and Purple Aubrietia may fall down a cliff and bloom together. In this planting, you can take a mean advantage over nature in that geographic distances can be overcome and flowers of Patagonia, Oregon, Finland, and Japan may all grow happily on one small mound.

You can also use the geographic restriction to a degree, and only wild flowers of one's own region be allowed, or of one major mountain range, as Caucasus, Alps, Rockies, or Andes. Soil conditions may always be made a control of plants to be used. The rock gardener should take advantage of strategically placing patio statuary, a patio fountain, or a garden waterfall in the area of the garden to break up the monotony of too many rocks that look similar.

These water features are also an excellent place to place specialty rocks the gardener wants to bring attention to. Botany may become a major factor, and certain families or genera may dominate, as Primrose, Pentstemon, or Phlox; or definite flower shapes or foliage habits, as bell-like flower or grassy leafage, may be made the main motive. All kinds of intricate schemes can be thus elaborated. No other kind of gardening has such possibilities of variations.