New Views in the Landscape

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Design

The solidity and rigid nature of the crevice garden shouldn’t obscure the fact that this garden is a dynamic space. The texture and color of the plants softens the angularity and hardness of the space. While many crevice gardens attempt to achieve a “natural look”, there are very modern interpretations of this style as well. Seth and Spriggs mention that “one of the finest compliments for a crevice garden is that it appears natural and not built.” I was smitten by the new, modern crevice garden at Cantigny Gardens (Wheaton, IL) which has significant symmetry and while obviously contrived, has an amazingly diverse amount of plant material and is a component of an even larger gravel garden.

Consider the footprint for your crevice garden and pick a location with few underground or overhead obstacles and can be accessed. Every crevice garden I’ve viewed has taken advantage of existing topography and/or created some of its own with “peaks”, “valleys” and features that lend a sense of scale. Mounding the space initially can be the start of some nice verticality that also serves the purpose of bringing plants closer to the viewer. Consider how the space will be viewed when determining the layout and design. Balance and harmony is a constant goal of the crevice garden and is achieved over time and the plants are a big part of the equation.

When positioning any rock in a crevice garden, choose the nicest parts of the rocks to be exposed. A few large rocks can add instant height and scale to a garden space and are recommended first in the design process. Perimeter or edging stones will help define the space as well. Subsequently, strata should be installed and completed one row at a time and should have the same relative thickness. The strata (or “ribs”) of the garden offer scale and dimension. Tilting rocks might require more support during installation but can offer drama as well. Asymmetry in the crevice garden is fairly common with a mixture of slopes, ridges, peaks and valleys, not to mention potential pathways and other features. When the garden stones and soil have been set and settled, the rocks shouldn’t move which is why they require additional attention with bracing stones as needed. Crevice gardens in containers and troughs is also common but not addressed in this article.

Soils

The soils of a crevice garden can be variable depending on location and the needs of the desired plants. Keep in mind that a crevice garden can host a wide range of variable soil types in a small space. In general, these soils are lean and should emulate those native soils that have open texture and porosity. The use of a combination of native soil and sand (construc (continued on page 52)