Denmark's giant crevice garden... how it was made....

[Ewelina Wajgert]

With really interest I read you thread and nicely remember visit in your garden some years ago.

[Stone Rider]

I remember well a girl from Krakow bringing my some nice plants in big rucksac. All plants are lost (too hot and dry place for them) but you are in my memory foever. ZZ

[Ewelina Wajgert]

All plants are lost (too hot and dry place for them) but you are in my memory foever. ZZ

The God didn't take care of them?

I remember that I have asked you, who look after the plants if you travel.

ZZ said one word: the God 

[Stone Rider]

 All  long ridge of this Danish outcrop was divided with two parallel “ shallow canyons” into three main sections: Asia with Caucasus and Turkey (southern slope) + Europe + America. Every continent has at the northern slope this already described peat beds for difficult plants. Joyce Carruthers concentrated on planting shrubbery plants, which were at our disposal (unfortunately not many) like dwarf Acers, dwarf Pinus parviflora, Daphne retusa and two dozens of dwarf rhododendrons. There is in Denmark some excellent nursery for lovely dwarf rhododendrons. I enjoyed planting three flowering Rh. camtsatchense. We dag out in garden big group of small Rh. impeditum wild form from China and Joyce planted it in a mass under highest peak which is now called Mt. Herluf. When another 25 tons of stones came two Danes used classic tool from my youth metal pinches for moving road curbs or rails. They worked superbly, but still it was heavy task to work with them on sharp slope of sand. The operator of big machine after our clumsy action to catch large slabs with stripes and lift them to the final position, got brain wave and hang one iron pinches under his crane with special textile stripes and it was a miracle. One man could stand a slab on its edge in vertical position and put the pinches on it for quick and save transport with the machine. See the picture of the crane hanging stone and happy old man riding stone with pinches on. The operator was quickly in perfect rapport with the stones and me speaking with hands language only disappeared like summer snow because I was very quick in decision where every stone belongs. We were waiting for stones because the German company with foreign workers was able to send only one truck with 25 tons per week. So waiting for stones there was important job to firm sand with bamboo sticks properly into thin crevices. Another big job was to close vertical crevices with something available. Normally it is job with a hammer and stony slivers but we had no rock slivers or flakes in disposal. It is hard limestone with good content of iron because when I put compass on it to control our east west run of layers the hand of compass was directed aside to wrong direction. My solution of easy closing vertical crevices was secret mortar mixed with wet fibres from broken peat blocks and clay pellets.

[Maggi Young]

My solution of easy closing vertical crevices was secret mortar mixed with wet fibres from broken peat blocks and clay pellets.

Excellent solution to the problem!

[Stone Rider]

Later, when these crevices will be planted, a hole can be easily done throughout this mortar closing, but I recommend to protect the collar of the plant with small pieces of rock and not to let them in direct contact with wet clay. All the rockwork will look much better after proper washing sand and mud from quarry out of surfaces of stones. The pavement is not only safe surface for walking and aesthetic trick to connect outcrops into impressive wholeness. One bulb specialist in Birmingham in 1960´th made construction of vertical stone layers (sunk into his bed) similar to construction of Antic Roman roads. He had very good results with bulbs in those crevices. So I hope in good displays of different small bulbs in the crevices of pavement in Bansgbo in near future. I let unpaved paths in the Main outcrop and Danes (teacher Henrik alias Hid Highness) paved them, of course, with parallel layers of limestone. I asked them to use only limestone grit for top dressing of crevices. I think that grit originated in Slovakia is now ordered. Danes followed my suggestion to place tufa (travertin) boulders into shallow basins filled with sand and clay, so the rock can soak water from bottom. They do it, you can see one picture- and also framing the Tufaland is pretty and closing relatively high bed under tufa. Thick sand beds and sloping crevices will do both the classic vertical drainage and modern surface drainage  in winter time, when  Danmark is under solid rain. What is working well in Ireland must be good for Danmark too. Sand is cheap and cheerful and good for saxatile plants. My story is in the end. We will go with Joyce back there in May 2010 to help with planting and top dressing as volunteers. We like open and happy Vikings and the weather of the latitude higher than Aberdeen.

[Maggi Young]

ZZ has provided me with more super photos to illustrate this tale of landscape creation ..... this triumph of Danish and Czech co-operation !
Click on the photos to enlarge them.... they tell the story very well.........

 Bangsbo Museum, Herluf and transport
 Herluf phones from Mt. Herluf
 Herluf uses compass in European section
 Johannes and Zdenek dances with pinches
 Joyce plants Daphnes
 Nice large overlapping slab in side-wall
 Steep part of American section
 unfinished end of America
 Washing stone

[Maggi Young]

more photos .......

 Danes make New Zeeland
 Danes framed Tufaland
 Faces of layers and path in New Zeeland
 First tufa for the Tufaland
 First tufa in Tufaland
 The same limestone in Hof crevice garden
 Topdressing above sand
 Tufa in limestone frame

[Maggi Young]

some more from the "pavement".....
 
 Ellen does heavy Pavement aroud America : Ellen is the Head Gardener of the Botanical Garden.
 His Highness Henrik on the pavement
 Last pavement
 Pavement between The big one and New Zealand

[Stone Rider]

Anytime ZZ

Mark, Prague Spring Show is from March 28th to April 3rd 2010. If you will come you can stay with us in Karlik. Be nice! zz

[Stone Rider]

I am very obliged to Magic Mum of the Forum that she hang gallery of Danish pictures at the digital wall of your hall (I am not brave enough to try it myself and she is woman with deep experience). I remember telling Danes that this construction is unique (modern design for a future) because there will be no need to water plants in crevices. It is sawing sources of water, time and Danish crowns. I also do not water my large rock garden with warm loving plants and warm tolerating plants (like kabschia Saxifragas). To see tons of stones is nice but there is strong need to decorate this white wall with some pictures of attractive saxatile plants which are trembling somewhere with excitement and Thrill to be planted into stony home at sandy hill. All my select are plants with natural slow and low growth in crevices. I will send my pictures of my happy plants to Maggie hoping that they will provide a suitable decoration of my short story.

[Maggi Young]

ZZ is sending photos to me of the types of plants which will be planted in the giant crevice garden and turn it from a stone mountain into a fabulous garden......
 Let us begin with a photo of Joyce Carruthers busy planting .......

[Maggi Young]

and now to begin the crevice loving plants......

 Aethionema capitatum
 Campanula formanekiana ex Vermion
 Cyclamen europaeum  5476
 Cyclamen mirabile_ 5645
 Cyclamen pseudibericum
 Daphne arbuscula Albiflora_4629.
 Genista lydia var. lydia Z.Zvolánek
 Iris nicolai
 Moltkia petraea ,Karlík
 Tulipa armena var.armena

[Ewelina Wajgert]

The Czechs have flair for growing the rock garden plants. They are ship-shape.
In Czech Republic there are a lot of beautiful and exceptional gardens.

[Maggi Young]

.....the last photos from  ZZ of the plants....

 click the photos to enlarge them, as before.......

 Adonis vernalis_4471
 Aubrieta glabrescens ex Smolikas
Campanula choruhensis
 Chamaecytisus pygmaeus
 Daphne x Tichbourne
 Degenia velebitica
 Pulsatilla grandis
 Silene argaea
 X Jancaemonda´Rudi´