It is time to plant a rock! There’s nothing like a rock to create a world. Look at this beauty, rounded by a glacial river long ago, high above today’s valley. It catches the sun under the snow, creates a hollow down there where it’s nice and warm, waters the soil, and then melts the snow cover to let in more light and air.

Note how the up-slope portion of the rock continues to melt snow, to keep water flowing through the garden below. If the slopes are steep enough, with enough sun, the slope of snow will slowly slide downhill over the rock, which will cut it like a knife, allowing for an ever-extending downslope garden. Summer is that garden at its fullest extension. What’s more, there are a lot of gopher hills in the summer. Perfect for a bit of rock-sowing. Your garden might even be out of the reach of quail, who like to nibble sprouting seeds from February on. But they can stand up above and fertilize it, that’s ok.

Oh, those poor people who live where there are no stones!