MAKING A CREVICE GARDEN

We have been blessed in our current garden with what we like to call a 'quarry' at the back of the lot. We had no idea when we bought the land that it would turn up such a wealth of rocks, and we do look at it that way. A wealth. It opened up a whole new style of gardening. We have used those rocks for making raised beds, patios, pathways and retaining walls as well as rock gardens. I am forever finding a new part of the garden in need of more rocks.

January 2019

Inspired by travel in the Western States of Colorado and Idaho I am venturing on a new-to-me style of rock gardening called crevice gardening. Although when I delved into the subject I realized I had already embraced crevice gardening in a small way.

Quite often when I find a good rock it will break during transportation. That is not always a bad thing as these limestone rocks are very heavy and I can only manage a certain weight. But all is not lost. I marry the two pieces together leaving a crack large enough in which to plant a succulent or small grass.
Then again my sunken garden where, loose-laid over decomposed granite, Arizona sandstone pavers provide yet another example of crevice gardening. Between each paver plants survive with only the water that comes from the sky, moisture being preserved under the pavers as well as providing a cool root-run for the plants.

But I intend to spread my horizons having seen some very inspiring crevice gardens, created both by  man and nature, during last summer's travels. After all rock gardening tries to emulate nature.
The first crevice garden we saw was in the Montrose Botanic Garden, Montrose, Colorado. Their crevice garden was created by volunteers under the expert guidance of Mike Kintgen and Kenton Seth, both well known in the field of crevice gardening.

Bur the most impressive crevice gardens are those at the Denver Botanical Gardens.

While some are more true to what you might see in nature others are probably only suited to a large garden installation. I can't imagine the work that must have gone into cutting these stones to make the perfect curves.

Walk around the other side and you will see this one incorporates a water feature too.

But my favorite was in the Mordecai Childrens' Garden at the DBG.

You don't need to drive far from Denver to find a wealth of rocks suitable for crevice gardening. These slates and sandstones split easily along horizontal lines which make this kind of crevice gardening possible. That night we stayed on a campsite on a lake and I couldn't help wishing that we could take a few of these pieces home. However, one of the things I have learnt about rock gardening is that you must use materials that are compatible with the rocks you have and these just wouldn't look right in my garden. I must find a source closer to home and that means my own back garden.

We now headed on further up to Idaho and our favorite place to camp and hike. Just outside of Ketchum in the Sawtooth Recreation area. We spent a week hiking in the mountains where, with my eyes tuned into crevice gardening, I was able to see plenty of nature's handiwork.
Naturally it takes time for soil to accumulate between the rocks, enough to support plant life.

Once it does it isn't long before the flowers spread carpeting the ground.

Sawtooth Mountains

These plants are growing at 7-8 thousand feet so are considered to be alpine or sub-alpine plants which is one of the reasons people started emulating nature. So they could collect and grow these alpine plants.  Definitely not suitable for a garden in Austin.
The hunt is on to find low-growing plants which would work in these situations. Small, hardy cactus and succulents as well as thymes, skullcaps and erigeron daisies

Hike to Lost Lakes, Sawtooths

Since arriving home from that vacation there has been too much to do to start on the project I have in mind but I have begun collecting suitable rocks. It isn't so easy to find them as we used so many of them making the patio, but they are there and once the pile is big enough work will begin. Winter days are a good time to be searching.

There are simpler ways to make crevice gardens. They can be made in troughs or pots. Just a few stones tucked into the gravel of this trough and planted with a native blue-eyed grass and a dwarf iris, some seedlings of alyssum.

Succulents in trough made from polystyrene box.

A SUMMER AFTERNOON PROJECT

Let's face it, it is too hot to be out in the garden, in Texas, any time after noon. Sometimes even before that. But, there are plenty of garden projects to be getting on with. Some time ago I learned about making a garden trough out of a polystyrene box from the Hypertufa Gardener. I made one-a large one- which was a great success over the winter. It held petunias and then in late winter, potatoes. It now lies empty awaiting a fall planting, but it fared well through the winter outdoors and even in our 100º temperatures is holding up well. Time for another one. This time a much smaller box, seen below.

I'll spare you the details of how to do this project other than to say I found myself a shady spot outdoors for the roughing up of the surface and sealing with the barbecue lighter but then ventured inside for the painting.

For the complete method visit the Hypertufa Gardener link above or view my prior project here.  

This time I used only two craft paint colors, Dark Grey (Craftsmart) and Raw Umber (Americana). I think I prefer the darker color. I painted the whole box with the dark grey and then went back over using a stippling technique and blending the colors, sometimes completely and sometimes roughly. I am pleased with the effect it gives.

The whole project took only 2hrs from start to finish. The most difficult part is getting the color right followed by deciding what to plant. I wish I could plant alpines but that isn't going to work in Texas. Plus, in mid July I wasn't willing to risk buying any new plants so I had to go shopping in my own garden.

Echeveria, topsy turvy, Kalanchoe, flapjack plant, Aloe variegata, partridge breast.

 Even this needs to be kept in a place where it receives afternoon shade, so cannot be on display where I would like it to be. All my cactus and succulents in pots are on their summer holiday under the shade of the patio. No sun after 12 noon. Unlike the troughs we saw at Holehird Gardens, in England. Hewn from solid rock by patient hands and weathered by time the mild climate allows them to be placed in exposed places.

Troughs at Holehird garden, Lake District, England

Maybe when this infernal heat moderates I will be able to put my troughs in my English Garden.

FROM TRADITIONAL TO MODERN

Jumping back to Christmas Eve, 2013, the next stop on our Taiwanese journey was the oldest city in Taiwan, Tainan, settled by the Dutch East India Company. The house where we were to spend Christmas eve and Christmas day brought another big surprise. Notice the juxtaposition of the modern house we are to stay in and the Chinese temple in the background.

As soon as we stepped in through the gate I knew I was going to love this as much as the last place.

One can sit on the bench and listen to the water as it cascades down the wall into a Koi pond.

Shoes off at the door, of course, and traditional woven slippers provided for our comfort; concrete floors. Maowu is ours for the next 2 days.

There are more surprises on Christmas morning. We are to go next door to the main house for our breakfast.
You can't see anything over the high wall but when we open the gate this is the view.

There will be time to visit the garden after breakfast. We remove our shoes and put on slippers and enter the breakfast room. Soft Christmas music is playing.

Vivian hasn't opened her presents yet so we bring a few over to open at the table. What a table; a single piece of wood. Mark has requested a Western style breakfast and it is delicious. I wouldn't normally eat soup for breakfast but this one was so good. You can see that everything about this place is attention to detail.

There is a small water feature inside the room. I'm wondering if I could so something like that.

Then it is time to explore the garden. I am in love with the stone troughs.

And with this bronze bird sitting on a twig.

Just time for a group photo before we go back to our house, open presents and catch up with the family back home.

They are getting ready to go to bed in the USA

and we have plans to explore the town on the 4 bicycles the house has arranged for us. It may be Christmas Day but life goes on as usual in Taiwan.