Alpines. Piccies of

saxifrages taken this week.

 

very nice! That's quite a collection that you have going.

 

Much earlier than mine too.

 

Very nice troughs.

Saw some at Wisely last year that tempted me to put one together, but I did nothing about it. Maybe this year.

 

Got permission off a farmer to quarry some weathered limestone in some of his fields.
Put some of the rock into a trough the other day and this is the result.
Plants are;
5 Saxifrages,
Potentilla Nitida Rubra,
Erysimum Amoenium,
Helichrysum Pagophilum,
Asyneuma Pulvinatum,
Antennaria Dioica Minima,
Anchusa Cespitosa,
& Petunia Patagonica.

 

That's gonna look good Kindredspirit!

 

Raoulia Australis. Perhaps not planted in ideal conditions but it's expanding.

 

Cotula Hispida. Also expanding.

 

Lewisias planted in perforated volcanic rock this week.

 

I do like the look of Lewisia. Are they all reliably hardy?

 

Lewisias are totally hardy because they naturally grow in the Rocky Mountains. The trouble with them is that cannot stand having their base wet and thus will rot and they also don't like very alkaline soil.
People often plant them sideways in a crevice to avoid the rotting problem.

I planted two initially. One is still in a trough, with neutral soil, where it's in the front line of all the prevailing wind and rain. Not a bother to it. The other was in a trough under my glazed pergola, protected from rain. It died after flowering! I think it was limey soil in that trough that did it in. It certainly wasn't rot from wet. I hate to have a plant die on me.

They don't mind frost or cold.

 

I have two in my garden at the moment. I think both of these are Saxifrages.

 

Much like the Tricyrtis that I'm building up a collection of. I may have a good spot for them after the summer so it looks as if it's time for me to buy a couple of Lewisia. Thanks.

That's a good tip. With my Tricyrtis I grow them in large plastic pots. Sink the pots in summer and then lift for the winter and store dry and cold.

 

Hi Sheal,
The first one is Aubrieta, but the second one is a Saxifrage. Purple Robe or Peter Pan or similar. They're lovely looking plants.

Hi Longk,
Toad Lilies look fabulous but, I presume, they vanish in the winter?
(I'm now making a policy of evergreen plants because I want my garden to be a 12 month garden.)

 

Yup - under the staging in the greenhouse!