Rock garden plants

Alpines and other rock garden plants come from some of the most inhospitable places in the world, such as high mountain peaks or other areas where taller plants can’t grow. Most of these plants tend to be very compact with unusually large flowers for the size of the plant. This combination explains their appeal to gardeners around the world who are blessed with a climate suitable to their cultivation.

Androsace hirtella

Perfect conditions for many alpine plants include cold winters with good snow protection and cool summers. However many types are adaptable to a variety of climatic conditions. Other general conditions include:

Some of the more difficult rock garden plants can be grown in what is called a scree. In a few words, this is a mixture of perhaps four parts gravel to one part rock garden mix as outlined above. This extremely lean mix should be at least a foot deep over somewhat richer soil. See Linc Fosters’ Rock Gardening for information on all aspects of this fascinating endeavor.

Twenty easy rock garden plants

Anacyclus pyrethrum v. depressus Androsace sarmentosa v. chumbyii Androsace sempervivoides Armeria caespitosa Aster coloradoensis Campanula collina Dianthus alpinus Draba brunifolia ssp. brunifolia Edraianthus graminifolia Edraianthus pumilio Gentiana paradoxa Lewisia cotyledon Papaver miyabeanum Penstemon hirsutus ‘Pygmaeus’ Primula auricula Primula frondosa Saxifraga paniculata Sempervivum arachnoideum ‘Cebanesis’ Veronica spicata ‘nana’ Vitaliana primuliflora

Erigeron 'canary bird'

Please visit our catalog page to order some of our rock garden plants.

For more information, go to the web site of the North American Rock Garden Society: www.nargs.org