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Adorable Alpines

© Jane Hollis

Do you think of alpines and rock plants as too delicate to grow and lacking in all-year interest? Well, although some of the specialist collectors plants may need special treatment, the majority of alpines are quite hardy and easy to grow. Interest need not be limited to springtime either, you can have plants in flower from late winter to autumn, plus some have attractive evergreen foliage.

When my own garden was constructed there was a drop of about 1 foot between the patio and the lawn, so I decided to create an alpine area in the angle between the patio and the adjoining brick wall. Most of the proposed site got sun for much of the day, apart from the section nearest to the wall.

A soakaway had already been built under the far end of the bed so drainage was already good, especially as the soil was a sandy loam over sandstone. Some of the stony subsoil was used to create the base of the mound, which was then covered with top soil (screened to eliminate perennial weeds). In a heavier soil, it would be wise to mix in sand or grit, to improve drainage.

Local sandstone rocks were then added, ensuring that the strata lines ran horizontally rather than vertically. The rocks were part-buried in the soil to give the impression that they were the tips of larger rocks beneath the ground. Once planting was finished, the bed was completed with a mulch of pea gravel and a scattering of rock fragments.

Here are some of the plants used:

Ajuga Burgundy Glow (bugle) Armeria maritima (sea thrift) Dianthus 'Pike's Pink' (alpine pink) Gentiana Ann's Special Geranium Bertie Crug Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' Helleborus niger/orientalis (Christmas rose/Lenten rose) Hebe 'Green Globe' Helianthemum (rock rose) Leptospermum scoparium nanun 'Kiwi' Penstemon 'Blue Gem' Penstemon pinifolia Primula frondosa Primula marginata 'Kessler's Variety' Pulsatilla rubra (Pasque flower) Rhododendron 'The Wren' Rhododendron 'Blue Tit' Saxifraga x arco-valleyi 'Labe' Sedum spureum Sedum spurium Tricolor Silene schafta Sisyrinchium idahoense Thymus serpyllum (creeping thyme)

In the beginning, I also planted some more vigorous plants like Aubrieta deltoides, Saponaria ocymoides and Campanula poscharskyana were used, together with Lobularia maritima (sweet alyssum), to bulk out the planting. Now the more select plants have grown, the vigorous ones have been removed to a more suitable area. The shady area nearest to the wall has been enriched with organic matter, to make it suitable for the shade-lovers: Rhododendrons, hellebores, primulas and ajuga. Further away from the walls, in partial shade, are: Silene schafta, Geranium 'Bertie Crug' and Saxifraga. The rest of the planting is in full sun.