Growing Alpine Plants How To Use Alpine Garden Plants

How to plant alpines (things to consider)

Good drainage. If planting a bed, spread a two-inch layer of grit on top and dig it into the top six inches of soil.
Mind the roots! Most alpine plants have very long roots (two feet of roots isn't uncommon!). ...
Water. Once you've planted your alpine, water it thoroughly.
Upkeep.

Do alpine plants need soil?
Do alpine plants need feeding?
Do alpine plants come back every year?
Do alpine plants like full sun?
How do you prepare soil for alpine plants?
Are alpine plants Hardy?
Do you deadhead alpine plants?
Can you cut back alpine plants?
How often should you water alpine plants?
How do you make a small alpine garden?
Are rockeries old fashioned?
How do you propagate alpine plants?

Do alpine plants need soil?

Most alpines are adapted to dry, rocky conditions, so need gritty, free-draining soil in our gardens. This makes them ideal for containers, gravel gardens, raised beds and rock gardens, or even rocky crevices, dry-stone walls and between paving. Alpines don't like heavy, consistently damp soil, especially in winter.

Do alpine plants need feeding?

Feed with a weak solution of a high potash fertiliser, such as Tomorite, in early spring. This will encourage more flowers to form whilst keeping the plant compact. Keep picking off spent flowers to encourage the plant to produce more.

Do alpine plants come back every year?

Alpine Bulbs. Many bulbs and corms are suitable for alpine gardens and grow well at the edge of borders or in rock gardens. Most also do well in pots. ... They can flower year after year if repotted but I like to plant mine out in the garden once flowered and refresh my pots each year.

Do alpine plants like full sun?

True alpine plants are fundamentally mountain plants. So if you think about it, you'll have a pretty clear idea of what conditions they like: thin, infertile, well-draining soil, plenty of sunshine, not too much wet. Most can tolerate winter cold, but not wet.

How do you prepare soil for alpine plants?

Fill the trough with free-draining compost (a mix of 50 per cent John Innes no. 2 and 50 per cent horticultural grit will drain well) to within 12.5cm (5in) of the rim, level and firm with your fingertips. Arrange plants in the trough, ensuring that any trailing plants are placed near the edges.

Are alpine plants Hardy?

Low maintenance: Alpines are hardy plants that can withstand harsh conditions. They don't need much upkeep at all.

Do you deadhead alpine plants?

Deadhead to keep it flowering.

Can you cut back alpine plants?

Prune trailing plants after flowering to keep growth bushy. By now bulbs will have died down and alpine lawns can have their first mowing and trimming. Have a look at alpine nurseries and gardens during the summer holiday months.

How often should you water alpine plants?

This can be given perhaps every 3 or 4 weeks or so when watering during the growing season. The aim is just to keep the plants healthy and active in their limited volume of soil, not to encourage lush, rapid growth - hence the use of fertilisers at low rate only.

How do you make a small alpine garden?

Rock Garden Rules

Choose an open site away from overhanging trees and buildings.
Pick a site with attractive natural background.
Make sure the soil is free from perennial weeds and tree roots.
Provide satisfactory drainage.

Are rockeries old fashioned?

A rockery revival is under way. A new generation of gardeners, inspired by Instagram images, are once again buying boulders to build rock gardens that had until recently been written off as an old-fashioned idea.

How do you propagate alpine plants?

Detach a non-flowering shoot, with roots, and remove basal foliage, leaving a rosette of foliage at the top. How to take cuttings from alpines – cutting a piece of root.
Mix grit, loam and horticultural sand to make a free-draining compost. ...
Insert the cutting up to its rosette.