Rock Gardens are one of the most effective landscaping features.

They also provide that all elusive curb-appeal that adds signicant value to a home at minimal cost.

There are few features in the garden that provide such a variety of interests in so little space as a well-planned and carefully planted rock garden.

The smallest plot may contain a rock garden which will house a representative and charming collection of alpine plants; but, on the other hand, there are few features in the ordinary garden that are so neglected and so ill-understood.

It must be remembered that the chief function of the rock garden is to provide the plants grown in it with conditions, so far as possible, similar to those existing in their natural haunts.

The alpines and high alpines are the most typical of all rock plants and are mostly natives of the high mountain crags and screes of the Alps and Himalayas.

The ideal rock garden, therefore, should, so far as possible, provide the soil and natural conditions pertaining in these regions.

During the short alpine summer the plants are subjected to fierce and baking sun; many of them, therefore, have thick leaves covered with down or hair to protect them from its shrivelling rays.

The roots, too, at this time need ample moisture, and this is provided by the melting of the snows on the mountain tops, whence it permeates through the scree of the moraine.

Also, to live in their natural haunts they require to be very deep and strong rooted, very often with a much greater root run than the foliage and flowers which their roots support.

Enjoy. DT.

Kay L. Trotman, a Travel Agent specializing in African Safaris and Group Tours and Cruises, lives in Southern California. She is an avid amateur photographer and shoots pictures of her safari adventures and her beautiful flower garden. Travel information
f0d On one of several African safaris, this one in the Okavango Delta, our guide frequently pointing to the high points of interest mentioned it was getting late as he beaconed at the slowly sinking sun. I remember as our group was marveling at a pride of lions, 'brothers' as we were told by the guide, spectacular lions with black manes doing what they do best, resting on the floor of the savannah. Blending in with the high grass, barely visible except for the occasional black manes one would see as they turned over, yawned and then fell back on their side continuing their R&R. Suddenly a call came over the guide's radio. A leopard sighting! The guide asked if we wanted to go, it was late in the evening, the sun was beginning to set. The guide explained that it was a ways off and the leopard, as elusive as it was, may have moved from the spot by the time we got there. Unanimously, we all agreed to take that chance.

We began to tear across the savannah, only able to drive on the existing trails. Drivers are not allowed to make their own trails – not in this neck of the woods! As we bounced from side to side in our open Land Rover, getting closer to the leopard every moment, the sun sank further and further. And then…..no, not the leopard, but we saw four lionesses' taking down a zebra. The zebra was barely alive, with one lioness on the throat, one on the rear end, one underneath and another resting close by. Finally, with the zebra succumbed, they begin to enjoy the fruits of their labor!

We begged the driver to stop and he said, 'what about the leopard'. We told him to wait until after we take pictures of the sighting. Cameras clicking away, we spent way too much time there, but worth every minute, as the sunset became more beautiful with each passing moment. And then off we went, rushing to see the leopard!

Still with some daylight remaining, we arrived to see the most spectacular, stunning and regal leopard perched atop a huge rock, barely visible when his head was down. As he lifted his head out of the same color of grasses surrounding him, oh my god, what a sight! Gently he moved his head from side to side, surveying any potential threat or danger and gently laid his head back down as if to say…can you please let me get some rest here? As if posing for our hundreds of pictures, the leopard casually and slowly got up to move, from the heat of the sunlight to the shade of a nearby tree, as the sun was slowly going down in the distance. And as the sun set, and we could only see the eyes of the leopard, we realized it was pitch black in the Okavango Delta.

How do we get back? How do we see? Can we find the roads? We're not in the city; there are no streetlights, no signs, and no headlights! Like most guides, ours knew exactly where to go and how to get there. But first he asked us, who knew the way back – everyone pointed in a different direction, so we chose his. Tearing back across the savannah, the only things visible were the many eyes of animals in the bushes or out in the open. The guide pointed to the eyes, and would say, there's a hyena over there, there's a lion over there, but really the only eyes we wanted to see were the eyes of the Chief Camp's guides as they greeted us back at camp. WHAT AN ADVENTURE!

About the Author

Kay L. Trotman, a Travel Agent specializing in African Safaris and Group Tours and Cruises, lives in Southern California. She is an avid amateur photographer and shoots pictures of her safari adventures and her beautiful flower garden. Travel information can be found at www.KayTravel.com. Many of her pictures can be purchased as custom photos or cards at www.KaysCreativeCards.com/.

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