Understanding Garden Plants -Alpine And Rock Garden Flashcards
Rock garden - summer
Thymus silver queen Sempervivum red Ace / red beauty / red heart Saxifraga x urbium Helianthus nummularium Dianthus alpinus
Rock garden - spring
Sedum acre
Pulsatilla vulgaris
Aubrieta astrolat
Characteristics of true alpine
Low growing
Adaptation of leaves - small/hairy/succulent/silvery
Other plants suitable for rockery
Dwarf conifers and bulbs
Soil requirements for alpine plants/rockery
Free draining
Low nutrient content
Free from weeds/pest/disease
Preparation of an area for rockery
Get rid of weeds
Get good drainage maybe by digging out topsoil and adding a layer of rubble/hardcore. Sand for heavy clay.
Place rocks irregularly starting from front and working up tilting them slightly backwards
Creating an alpine trough
Made from stone/ reconstituted stone/ cement / hypertufa
50%compost 50%grit
Layer of grit in the bottom then compost then plant then mulch with layer of grit or gravel
What is hypertufa
Mixture of sand/cement/peat
Maintenance of rock garden
Watering not really necessary except in long periods without rain
Trim in autumn to keep compact
Keep weeds down
Look out for pests such as slugs and snails
Diseases such as grey mould