The popularity of the rock garden is seen as a late nineteenth century
phenomenon, which followed the creation of the Backhouse Nursery rock garden
in York, England, in 1859, although a few earlier gardens are sometimes
mentioned as isolated incidents. This thesis proposes that the rock garden evolved
out of efforts to cultivate alpine and rock plants, and traces interest in their
collection back to sixteenth century Europe. A terraced garden at le Jardin des
Plantes, Montpellier, France, indicates that by 1598 there was interest in
simulating specialized plant habitats. The earliest known rock garden was built in
Orford, England, about 1767, and by the early nineteenth century, rock gardens
were popular garden features, as may be seen from the numbers of articles in the
horticultural press.
From these published accounts, the design, construction, culture, planting,
and maintenance of rock gardens are compared and studied. As proof that rock
gardens were created as places to grow alpine and rock plants from the first, lists
of alpine and rock plants recommended for gardens between 1789 and 1856 are
analyzed. The majority of the plants on these lists were low, spreading, needed
the improved drainage offered by the structure of the rock garden, and, to a lesser
extent, had alpine origins. Between 1789 and 1856 the reasons for plant choice
did not change significantly.
This thesis explores the origins of the rock garden, studies its history, and
analyzes its structure and plants to place it in context with the rest of landscape
history.