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Alpines question!
Hi everyone, we're revamping our alpine bed, throwing out old, tired plants & those that have become too big for their space. Over the years, gravel has worked its way down into the soil, to increase the free drainage can I just add a handful of horticultural grit with each new planting? And what are your favourite alpines to add to my list please?!




Answers

 

If your soil is good and gritty, Pixilady, then decent, gritty potting compost is all that should be needed. If you are buying your new plants in from a garden center they are quite likely to be growing in peat. I would clean as much of this as possible off the roots and then put a John Innes type of compost in the growingh hole to plant them in.
That was the easy part of your question! We have a whole garden full of alpine and similar plants and bulbs - there is no such thing as favorite ;-). If pushed, well, Saxifrages would come high on the list and yellow Drabas also make nice cushions. I like the small aster family like the alpine asters and Erigeron, and, for some colour into autumn there are the summer flowering Gentians.

11 Feb, 2011

 

You have a terrific choice, Pixi, but I love Lewisia, Hepatica and Iphion. If you look under 'A' at the bottom of the page, and click on Alpines, you'll get masses of ideas.

11 Feb, 2011

 

Thanks (a bit belatedly) Bulbaholic & Sheilabub-I shall definitely see if I can find some of the varieties you both recommend. My local nurseries have the more common alpines of which I've bought a few so I'll have to look further afield or get to a Plant Fair! There's so much to do in the garden in the spring thats it difficult to prioritise jobs-I just need more hours and more energy!!

9 Apr, 2011

 

If you rally want to spoil yourself I expect that many of the specialist alpine nurseries wiil be at the AGS shows:
http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/shows/dates-and-venues/

9 Apr, 2011

 

Our alpine bed is now fully replanted & is looking really good - I don't think I have anything really unusual in it but lots that I've not grown before & although I've said its fully planted I still have 2 or 3 plants recently bought that are waiting to be planted!

22 May, 2011

How do I say thanks?

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