Jim, Almost certainly, the earliest ‘rock’ garden in England was likely to be the one constructed in the Chelsea Physic Garden in 1773. “ The Garden Committee felt that a ‘piece of rockwork will be a very ornamental addition’ to the garden and ‘very useful for the cultivation of such plants as will only thrive in stony soils’. The garden was built in the summer of 1773 and completed by August 16th at a cost of £2 9s. 6d (2.50GBP) in labour, as reported by William Curtis.” The rocks were Icelandic lava, donated by Sir Joseph Banks, which was used as ballast, discarded from his ship the St.Lawrence, on its return from a voyage to Iceland.
Ref. The Apothecaries Garden. Sue Minter 2000. pp 50-54 ISBN 0 7509 2449 7 Gary Dunlop
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