January 2011

Leonard J. Buck Garden, Far Hills, New Jersey

Once the rage of the Victorian era, rock gardening has become increasingly popular amongst savoir-faire gardeners in the Northeast. A rock garden, also known as a rockery or alpine garden, is a type of garden featuring extensive use of rocks or stones, along with plants native to rocky or alpine environments. Call it a passion or an obsession, either way it can be very challenging.

If you are looking to acquaint yourself with this branch of gardening or looking to feed your obsession visit the Leonard J. Buck Garden. You will see rugged rock outcroppings designed by nature, soften with horticulture delights and nurtured through the years with loving hands.

Rock gardens are classified as formal (architectural) or informal (naturalistic). Formal rock gardens are artificially arranged into planned patterns such as walls, steps or paving. These gardens have some type of utilitarian purpose, yet at the same time they display an aesthetic function.

Informal rock gardens, or naturalistic gardens, are designed and built to look like natural outcrops of bedrock. Stones are aligned to suggest a bedding plane and plants are often used to conceal the joints between the stones. Its basic purpose is to recreate a natural setting where rock garden plants will look and grow their best.

Leonard J. Buck Garden is one of the premier rock gardens in the country consisting of 12 rock outcroppings. The main rock composition is basalt lava from two distinct formations. One formed about 290 million years ago, the other about 140 million years ago through volcanic activity.

The development of this garden was determined by the discovery of these solid rock formations and the decision to make them the feature. For the next several years layers of dirt and loose stone were painstakingly removed by hand to reveal the underlying rock outcropping. Once the rock was exposed planting pockets were chiseled into the rock and the soil prepared for planting.

Most of the 12 rock outcroppings are natural except for Polypody Rock. This rock is a creation of both man and nature. The upper half is a natural cliff that runs approximately 80 feet in length. The lower half is made of rock laid horizontally to create pockets of soil that support plant life. Polypody fern, Thalictrum, Hosta and azaleas are just some of the plants located on this shady rock formation.

Horseshoe Rock was shaped by some primordial waterfall, its broad, flat surface worn smooth by billions of gallons of water that once flowed over it. The top is now sun-baked and dry, covered with sedums, sempervivums, prickly pear and thyme. These plants are able to thrive in drought conditions with little soil.

The main outcrop drawing the most attention is Big Rock. With its flat top and steep rock face, geologists believe it was the site of an ancient waterfall during the last ice age. It is the sunniest and hottest place in the garden and it is here you will find more traditional rock garden plants such as Corydalis, Delosperma, Gentian, Kenilworth ivy, species of primrose and more. Many types of plants are suitable for rock gardens. Generally, plants that are low growing and have a clumping habit are preferred.

Bit-O-Rock sits at the foot of Big Rock. This rock has so many cross sections it looks as though it was built up by individual rocks. Plantings include dwarf evergreens such as Buxus microphylla ‘Compacta’, bloodroot, and miniature species of iris and primrose.

The unusual texture of Ivy Rock is the result of bubbling gases rising through molten magma while the rock was forming. Ivy still flows effortlessly over this ancient weathered outcrop along with other garden delights such as dog-toothed violet, cyclamen, and merrybells.

A natural rock garden can not be constructed in a haphazard manner, which leads to the creation of rock piles rather than rock gardens. Studying rock formations in nature, such as the ones in Buck Garden, will help you understand natural rock garden design and construction. So come for a visit and study these magnificent rock formations that were carved and weathered into eye-catching shapes and orientations.