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Category: Alpine Garden

Plants and how to develop an Alpine garden

Growing Colchium as Alpine Pot Plants

Growing Colchium as Alpine Pot Plants

Colchium montanum

What is not to like about Colchium these autumn flowering crocus like bulbs always cheer me up.

Facts about Colchium

  • They have 6 stamens unlike crocus which have 3.
  • Colchium will flower without being planted, just leave them on a sunny window sill.
  • They are best artistically arranged in a shallow dish of pretty gravel and kept out of heavy rain.
  • Planted outside they will flower in autumn before the long, strappy, lanceolate leaves show through. They do best in a semi-woodland site.
  • Flowers are pink, lavender, rose or white.
  • Other species include Colchium agrippinum, Colchium speciosum, Colchium clicicum, Colchium autumnale and  Colchium alpinum.
  • There is also a spring flowering yellow variety Colchium luteum.
  • Colchiums are said to be poisonous to humans and most animals.

Colchium panonicum

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Growing Corydalis for Colour and Fine Foliage

Growing Corydalis for Colour and Fine Foliage

Cordialis popovii

Corydalis popovii
is a small bulbous plant flowering up to 6 inches in height. In spring it assumes a white colouring after the purple flowers. This plant comes from Central Asia and is easy to grow and long-lived in a well-drained compost in a pot.
They can be grown in the open garden in full sun and freely drained soil.
Fertilize with a specific fertilizer for bulbous plants, every 2-3 weeks, from when the first flowers start withering.
Corydalis plants don’t like cold temperatures or wet conditions and need a rest period before being brought back into growth.

Corydalis wilsonii

Corydalis wilsonii arrived from it’s native china comparatively recently.
It is a compact herbaceous plant with light green leaves.
It flowers on errect spikes, 1″ long, in a deep yellow during late spring.
This variety is suitable for growing in pots.

I have just bought a Corydalis Kingfisher from the local AGS meeting. Kingfisher has blue flowers with a hint of green from March to Aug and is only without flowers when dormant during winter.

Alpine Species

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Growing Different Daisy Flowers “Townsendia”

Growing Different Daisy Flowers “Townsendia”

Townsendia formosa

This genus of conspicuous Aster like flowers deserves to be better known.

Growing Habits of Townsendia

  • This perennial genus comes from North America and Mexico.
  • Some Townsendia are tall, erect plants, like typical daisies, others form small, leafy rosettes, or have a sprawling, prostrate appearance.
  • The plants like a sunny well drained spot or they will be short lived.
  • Sow seed in gritty compost and surround plants with grit or gravel.

Some Species of Townsendia.

  • Townsendia formosa shown above has lilac coloured flowers above thin narrow foliage.
  • Townsedia grandiflora has large violet flowers 1-2″ wide on 5-10″ stems in summer.
  • Townsendia exscapa has white or pale pink flowers.
  • Information on the other 20+ species by L M Shultz
Grow Ericaceous Cassiope

Grow Ericaceous Cassiope

Cassiope Badenoch

Cassiope are a valuable group of small wiry stemmed ericaceous perennials with white bell-like flowers blooming in spring. Leaves are unstalked and densely overlap.

Tips for Growing Cassiope

  • Grow in lime free sandy or mossy soil. Very hardy if given good drainage.
  • The smaller varieties are good alpine house and pot plants growing below 12″ high.
  • Plants are cheap to buy and can be propagated from cuttings or by pegging down.
  • Plants hybridise quite easily.
  • Grow in a cool shady or semi-shady places in the rock garden or shrub border.

Hybrids and Species to Grow

  • Cassiope Randle Cooke is a super little Cassiope with deep green leaves closely clasping the stems.
  • Cassiope Badenoch shown above has a mass of off-white bell shaped flowers
  • Cassiope Edinburgh another wiry stemmed ericaceous perennial with tightly packed deep green leaves and larger white bell-like flowers in spring.
Small is Beautiful Particularly amongst Alpines

Small is Beautiful Particularly amongst Alpines

Saxifraga cranbourne

You do not need a large garden to grow a massive range of interesting plants and flowers. The 2p coin gives some impression of scale to this Saxfraga cranbourne which is about the same size as the coin.

Note how it needs the protection of grit plus a sand and grit plunge bed as these small plants can easily be washed away and generally do not like damp roots.
Many alpines dislike wet foliage and would rot so I always water from below.

Primula allianii Joan Hughes

There are many species of Primula that could form the basis of an interesting miniature collection. This photo is of Primula allianii Joan Hughes. There is a National Auricula and Primula Society if you get keenly interested.

Androsace carnea pyrenaica

Similarly there are many Androsace to collect and experiment with. This display, in a 4 inch pot, requires several plants of Androsace carnea pyrenaica together to make the interesting shoe.
There is a specialist society within AGS for these small plants Androsace.org.
See a range of other pictures here .

Saxifraga in Well Drained Pots

Saxifraga in Well Drained Pots

Saxifraga cranbourne

Small can be beautiful in the world of Saxifraga as can be seen with this Saxifraga Cranbourne one of the Kabschias series. This hybrid has a flat cushion bearing many rose pink flowers.

Saxifraga kellever suendermannii

Normally Saxifraga suendermannii has a solitary white flower but x kellever has these pink flowers. The hybridisation of Saxifraga is one of the pleasures of this plant.

Saxifraga griesbackii

Saxifraga griesbackii from Englerias section has lime encrusted rosettes with tall arching sprays of pink flowers. The flower stalk is covered in deep red glandualr hairs show above. They look good over a long period whilst the inflorescence is growing and opening.

Saxifraga Sulphur

I have arrived late to the pleasures of Saxifraga but to see the range of plants I have been missing I looked at the Rock Garden Society of North America
If naming of varieties is still a difficulty for you at least you can find out what your variety probably isn’t by referencing this site.

Dionysia curviflore tapetodes & other Dionysia

Dionysia curviflore tapetodes & other Dionysia

Dionysia curviflore tapetodes

Dionysia are a group of plants containing 50+ species found in mountainous areas in Afghanistan and Iran. Dionysia are the ultimate alpine plant producing a mass of, often fragrant, bloom on top of a perfect dome. However they are tough to keep alive without alpine house conditions. These plants are not for the novice and need care particularly with watering.

Dionysia

Dionysia are cousins of the cushion Androsaces but differ by having a long narrow tube to the corolla. They like a gritty scree with some humus and plenty of water in the growing season.

Dionysia are part of the Primulacea family and have many similar genes particularly when it comes to colour. For example, hirsutin has been identified as the violet pigment in flowers of Dionysia archibaldii, D. bryoides, D. curviflora and D. microphylla. Yellow pigment in flowers of D. aretioides is now reported also in D. bornmuelleri and D. paradoxa.

Dionysia

Download a pdf article on 5 new Dionysia species or visit Rock Garden database for a list of the Dionysia species.

Crocus corsicus or Corsican Crocus

Crocus corsicus or Corsican Crocus

Crocus corsicus

Collectors of Snowdrops are named Galanthophiles so should crocus lover be called Iridiaphiles. Perhaps there are already Iridiaphile clubs collecting the numerous Crocus species including the Corsican Crocus shown above. Wikipedia list 80 plus species.

Gardeners Tips for Corsican Crocus

  • I like the idea of growing crocus in pots in the alpine house so it is easier to inspect the blooms but they ‘go over’ quicker and the water control needs to be spot on. This pot is stood on an inverted pot to get more height on the bench.
  • Corsican crocus are best in a rockery not being robust enough to grow through grass.
  • A sandy well drained soil even in an exposed site should be fine.
  • Outdoors they go on flowering for longer than many spring crocus.
  • In early spring is a delight to see the striped buds poking up followed a few days later by the open buds showing a contrast of purples and lilacs plus the sepals, styles and anthers in orange and yellow. .

Read Crocus Tommasinianus and Crocus Planting Depth

Growing Ranuculus calandrinioides

Growing Ranuculus calandrinioides

Ranuculus calandrinioides

Ranuculus calandrinioides has an AGM, originates from the rocky slopes of the Atlas mountains, prefers dry shade, grows 8″ tall and has broad white-grey leaves.

This member of the buttercup family is dormant in summer.
It is easily grown under cold glass but give it as much light as possible. Outdoors keep it dry.
The lax growth will be kept more compact if grown hard and started late.
Keep bone dry until mid winter so growth does not commence above ground until early spring
Ranuculus calandrinioides has a thick fleshy rootstock and a lax growing habit.
Flowers form a large goblet shape in pure white or a delicate pink.

Note
Aestivate means the plant spends the summer in a state of torpor
Cotswold garden flowers has a good data base on Ranunclus
Seeds may be available from B&T world seeds.

St Valentine’s Flowers but Aubretia?

St Valentine’s Flowers but Aubretia?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so keep an eye open for unusual sights on the 14th February. Rather than Roses or posies this Aubretia plant has decided to grow a heart shape all of its own.

Aubretia is a compact low growing plant that flourishes on walls and rockeries in full sun. Aubretia is easy to grow at the front of the border on any reasonably drained fertile soil and will spread naturally by seed.

Aubretia deltoides or rock cress is good for ground cover and is available in shades of blue and purple.

Grow from seed by sowing from late winter to early summer in a good free draining seed compost just covering the seed. Make sure the compost is moist and not wet and seal in a polythene bag until after germination which usually takes 14-21 days at 18C (65F).

Aubretia is an evergreen perennial plant that is attractive to butterflies.

Plants by Thompson Morgan

Seeds by Thompson Morgan

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