Rock garden

A rocaille is a type of rock garden. It is made to look like natural mountain landscapes using rocks and plants. A rocaille can be large or small, flat or built on a slope. Sometimes it is constructed along stairs or terraces.

Materials

People use materials like rocks, flat slates, paving stones, pebbles, and volcanic stones. These can be held together with cement, which is often hidden using moss or small plants.

Plants

Rock gardens often use alpine plants, which grow naturally in mountain environments. Other plants can also be used, such as perennial species, mountain shrubs like alpine rhododendrons, azaleas, and creeping willow. Climbing plants such as alpine clematis are also common.

History

Rock gardens have been used in Chinese and Japanese landscapes for many centuries. In 1743, a French missionary described Chinese gardens where rocks were arranged in an artistic, natural-looking way, with plants growing over them to imitate mountain scenery. Japanese gardens also use rocks with symbolic meaning.

In 18th-century England, people began to prefer more natural garden designs compared to the formal French style. Horticultural societies and plant exhibitions helped spread interest in new garden styles.

In the 19th century, tourists visiting the mountains of Switzerland admired wild alpine plants. In England, collecting these rare plants became popular, though it endangered some species. To protect them, garden societies in places such as Geneva founded alpine gardens for preservation and study. New alpine gardens were established in Sion, Zermatt, the Great St. Bernard Pass, and Bourg-Saint-Pierre.