If you take a Japanese gardener for a drive in the northeast US
he
will be awestruck by the rock outcrops that occur where highway
cuts
have been made.

I dunno. There are plenty of rock outcrops in Japan.

Once these have been left alone for a while and get a few
layers of
ferns and laurel they look just right. Trying to create one in
a
garden is another matter.

I'm not sure that a road cut can EVER look "just right." But
it's not really that tough to create a natural rock wall,
cliffside, or rocky glen in a garden. Just remember,
(trite-but-true phrases coming up), less is more. And time heals
all wounds.

It IS almost impossible to get the look of an aged cliff wall in
one sitting, but give it a few years, leave fallen leaves where
they fall to decay, provide _dampness_, and it will come. Native
plants (especially those native to rocks and that KIND of rocks)
also help.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL -