Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Blogs and Diaries => Topic started by: MatthewStuttard on May 03, 2014, 11:06:03 PM
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So, with some trepidation amongst so many experts, this is a story of a small garden. Made because some old railway sleepers came into my possession.
January 2014, cutting and fixing the sleepers to make a planting space about 1.8m by 90cm with a height on two sides of 25cm and two sides at the back of 50cm.
Positioned in the sunniest spot in my garden in Surrey. After cutting out the turf, the sleepers were bedded on coarse gravel and fastened together with a combination of long screw bolts and angle brackets. Then old roof tiles, clay and bigger concrete ridge ones were sunk vertically into our local clay to make root runs.[attachimg=1]
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Well it was just going to be a sloping soil bed in two halves. Left half alkaline, right half acid. After a lot of googling the recipes were as follows.
Acid bed: 140L JI3, 70L Grit, 70L Sand, 140L ericaceous compost, 4L bone meal.
Alkaline bed: 90L JI3, 45L limestone chips, 45L sand, 90L Irish moss peat (guilty conscience), 6kg lime, 2L bone meal.
Surprisingly hard work mixing that lot up!
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At this point my wife thought I was digging a shallow grave and was not too keen!
Then I started reading more into the subject, including the wonderful SRGC!
Main sources:
Zvolanek's "The Crevice Garden and its Plants"
Good's "Alpine Gardening for Beginners"
Mitchell's "Alpines an essential guide"
Plus a vist to the alpine garden at Wisley - in February - not much showing in the way of plants but great to see the crevice garden structure.
So ideas developed and I clearly had to get my hands on some rock!
I found a local supplier with a good range of rock and after a bit of agonising went for rough cotswold stone. I really liked the waterworn limestone they had, but in addition to ethical concerns thought it would look too busy to have limestone on the alkaline side and sandstone on the acid side. At first I got pieces which were too small, but after reading Zvolanek I went back for bigger bits, including trapezoids for the ends and squarish pieces for the middle.
I set them out as you can see in the pictures. I kept to Zvolanek's rules about the profile, but broke them in spacing the different vertical strata more than 1 inch apart.
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The rocks and soil provided a range of environments.
Alkaline and acid.
Crevice and flat.
Sharp drained and less sharp though still well drained.
As the rock makes a curved stickleback ridge facing south there is also sunny and shaded.
So in this small area there is a huge amount of variety in plant micro-climate.
Research was carried out on plant selection using the RHS plant database + the books mentioned + SRGC + the really great websites of Alpine growers.
A spreadsheet was necessary to absorb and process the vast amount of info, in particular I wanted to ensure 12 months of flowering interest,
The upshot of all the research was a planting plan, based on plants I knew were available. Zvolanek's booklet was an inspiration in this effort, but he mischievously mentions a lot of plants which are not available.
After a lot of study, it was possible to make a scaled planting plan. I was worried about the huge number of plants for such a small area, and also had Zvolanek's message to avoid the 'goulash' in my mind. But gave into my desire for specimens, form variety and year-round interest traded against harmony and planting rhythm.
You can see in the planting plan that I just went for a dog's breakfast. I suppose you wiser heads will tell me it will be a terrible mess in two years time.
NB. My wife who is much more artistic than I am, drew the rocks brilliantly on the scale drawing so we could stick down the plant models. These were just made as circles to scale of spread after 5 years showing the flower colour, and codes for soil type, crevice or not, shade or sun.
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Looks like quite a lot of research and thought has gone into this Matthew, well done! As for plants, you will soon discover it's much better to grow from seed when you want nice alpines. Took me a long time to become convinced but I now grow them this way and plant them out while they are seedlings so they establish in the crevices and root down. It's not as instantly satisfying so I do put in a few short term plants as well, but my little gems grow and I hoick out the others when the smaller ones start to look overcrowded. I also do tiny cuttings from existing plants, root them and stuff them into gaps using a pencil or something similar. This of course helps keep down costs....
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Welcome Matthew -what a super project - and all because you were able to get some old railway sleepers - how good is that?
Very impressed at how organised you've been - for sure you will get years of pleasure from the plants you are able to grow in your crevice bed.
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Thanks for the encouragement Maggi and Chris, very much appreciated. I feel I have many mistakes ahead of me (and some behind already!), but that's all part of the fun. I certainly do intend to experiment with growing from seed and cuttings next year. But the priority this year was to get my hands on some good plant material so - leaving the bed to get wet and settle for a while I ordered most of the plants on my list from Pottertons, Craigiehall and Slack Top nurseries. So exciting to get the deliveries! All these suppliers provided a first rate service, the plants grown hard and well rooted in mineral soil - so different from those floppy types with lots of top growth and little root I saw in garden centres. They were all really well packed too. I planted the first batch in late March and the final delivery in early April, being quite brutal spreading out the roots on some that were to go in the narrower crevices. The rocks had been bedded on the vertically sunk tiles and then packed with coarse sand, so I dug out planting pockets with a very small 'houseplant' trowel and then backfilled with JI3+grit+sand one third each. I followed the advice in the books about ensuring their necks were above the soil and then dressed and supported the stems with small gravel. I used a bamboo stick to pack the soil around the roots trying to get rid of air pockets. Then it was about waiting and occasional watering. I looked anxiously for signs of new growth - the first flowers arrived very quickly but that's just stored energy, I wanted to see new leaves. Overall early establishment has gone well, two failures: an Edraianthus Niveus in a crevice (probably my fault - it was a good plant) and a Rhodohypoxis Tetraploid which was not well on arrival and for which a refund was made without quibble. I thought I had lost a campanula (Dickson's Gold) , but I think something ate the leaves as it is now re-sprouting protected by slug pellets. A Sisyrinchium became a bit unwell - yellow leaves - but it has responded to a little NPK top dressing, and a Leontopodium looked very weak when planted but is now OK.
One month in and there is a new delight every day! Pictures here were taken yesterday.
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Now , that does look fine in the sun, doesn't it?
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What a triumph! When I plant bought plants they are often in lots of compost. I get rid of most of it and then squeeze the roots onto the position I've prepared. Sounds like that's the practice you've adopted as well. I had seen this demonstrated by the Bainbridges which gave me the confidence to remove all the soil. Before that I would have been trying to put the whole thing into the crevice, but it's not necessary. Good luck with your new crevice garden....
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I would go further than merely shaking off most of the soil from bought plants. I prefer to wash off the roots as much as possible. Even well-grown newly bought plants may not be in a growing medium that is conducive to long term growth or to successful transfer to one's own soil.
In the past I have been disappointed by the failure of apparently healthy new plants to root out into the surrounding soil and thus grow on well.
A gentle washing of the roots allows a quicker and more complete transition to the new growing compost/soil mix.
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I've not done this before Maggi, but I hear what you're saying about appropriate medium... Too often I've tipped a plant out only to find gooey sticky compost of some sort with no real chance of drainage.... Must start doing this routinely...
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Which Bulbs?
I do have a few spaces left, but will be waiting a while before sticking in rooted plants - I will remember your tips for next time. My thoughts are now turning to selection of a few bulbs in order to ensure flowering interest from October to March. I impose a constraint of max 15cm height so they are in keeping with the scale of the other plants. As you can see in the general pics posted earlier the bed is pretty small with a flatter area along the front which should be OK for growing bulbs between/through the other plants (aubretia, zauschneria, campanula). I'm thinking of Colchicum speciosum, Crocus laevigatus 'Fontenayi' (Dec to Jan), Crocus pulchellus, Crocus fleischeri, Narcissus romieuxii, Scilla siberica 'Spring Beauty', Fritillaria aurea 'Golden Flag'. Is this too many if I plant 3 bulbs of each? Of course it is! But how to reduce the selection and get the flowering span? Child in sweet shop problem here!
And Cyclamen coum in the slightly shaded area just behind the rock ridge but near the top of it seems to be a must.
A few tips suitable for a beginner would be very welcome - I realise from the bulb logs that this is a huge topic.
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And Cyclamen coum in the slightly shaded area just behind the rock ridge but near the top of it seems to be a must.
You could also try Cyclamen intaminatum which should also establish well from small plants or seedlings.
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Which Bulbs?
I do have a few spaces left, but will be waiting a while before sticking in rooted plants ... I'm thinking of Colchicum speciosum, Crocus laevigatus 'Fontenayi' (Dec to Jan), Crocus pulchellus, Crocus fleischeri, Narcissus romieuxii, Scilla siberica 'Spring Beauty', Fritillaria aurea 'Golden Flag'. Is this too many if I plant 3 bulbs of each?
A few tips suitable for a beginner would be very welcome - I realise from the bulb logs that this is a huge topic.
Hi Matthew,
I would suggest rather than Colchicum speciosum one of the smaller leafed types like C. corsicum would be more suited to a crevice bed. At this stage the foliage of the C. speciosum wouldn't be an issue but as your garden fills up the dying foliage could impact on the surrounding plants if they are at all delicate. We have Colicum cilicium amongst sempervivums and the mass of foliage doesn't adversely affect the semps.
The foliage of the others you mention shouldn't be an issue,
cheers
fermi
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Thanks very much for the helpful tips Steve and Fermi, I'll give them a go.
Matthew
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Just to share my 'newbie' enthusiasm.
Something wonderful in the way these have developed since they were put in only a few weeks ago.
In particular how the crevice plants have gently flowed and moulded their forms to the rock contours.
Is that ant feeding on Sax nectar?
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Looking good....
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Late May update. All going well so far. Have only had to do a bit of dead heading and the slugs seem to dislike climbing up the railway sleepers so no losses to them.
The Ramonda myconii pic was taken through the trellis at the back of the bed, it seems happy enough in its shady nook.
Potentilla may be rather ordinary but it gives a lovely splash of yellow, especially after rain.
I like the way the Erodium flowers are held high on bendy stems so they nod in a breeze, but it is quite a sprawling plant which might need a trim soon.
In contrast Sax Winifred Bevington looks very neat and sturdy in a shadier spot.
The Pulsatilla pic was taken in April - just one flower but a lovely one, I tried sowing the seeds it produced in a tray a couple of weeks ago following the advice on the Pulsatilla forum pages - no seedlings yet! Possibly showing my ignorance but I wonder if the seed is viable as I only have one plant.
The Corydalis posted previously finished its first flush of flowers a couple of weeks ago and I was expecting more as it is supposed to have a long season - no new buds visible today. Should I do anything except wait and see?
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Maggi, I keep a bucket of rain water at the top of the garden and automatically any bought plant is swished gently in the bucket until the roota are pretty clean. The it gets gently dragged over sand or I sprinkle some sand on the roots to keep them from clinging together too much. Then it gets planted in the crevices in my own mix. Maybe a few weeks later. depending on the plant, it gets some slow-release Osmacote scratched in. Too much peat and other strange things in potted plants.
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Matthew, what a nice range of plants you're growing.
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What's species? Found in the garden today. Just beautiful.
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I don't know many moths but I think that's an Angle Shades
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What's species? Found in the garden today. Just beautiful.
A great find, Matthew, a mating pair of Eyed Hawkmoths (Smerinthus ocellata). If you get to see the lower wings you will see a pair of dark 'eyes' on a reddish background.
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I don't know many moths but I think that's an Angle Shades
Diane: Angle Shades has a similar shape but smaller and much lighter colouring.
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Diane: Angle Shades has a similar shape but smaller and much lighter colouring.
Thanks Chris :)
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Thanks Diane and Chris,
Great to have the identification. Their wing shape - especially the trailing edge - looked fantastic.
I did not want to disturb them so did not get to see the undersides or sides. They stayed like that for over an hour.
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sprinkle some sand on the roots to keep them from clinging together too much
Astragalus, this is a great tip, I used it recently when planting out leeks and it makes it much easier to get the roots into the dibbed holes. I'll use it next time I plant alpines too!
Early June in the crevice bed and the Eidelweiss is developing. I'm not much of a fan of this plant but couldn't have an alpine garden without it.
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Aubretia 'Bressingham Red' is still going, which is a pleasant surprise. It has also spread to form a fairly compact cushion - seems very well behaved (no pic here).
Rhodohypoxis milloides is the first of the rhodos to flower - really brilliant colour.
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Centaurem scilloides is coming on. Petite flowers.
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Edraianthus pumilio has lovely colour, but a very short season - this pic was taken last weekend and the show is almost over now. Not helped by the heavy rain in the week.
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Finally the Sysirinchium has flowered quite well - now nearing the end, and has more than doubled in vegetative mass. Some of the leaves are not looking happy though. I'm trying a slow release fertiliser. Any other tips would be welcome.
[attach=5]
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Solstice update. Overview pictures taken on 21 June.
'Side' pic shows the aubretia (front left) has made a lovely cushion and is still flowering.
The other cushion at the front is a Zauschneria.
'Front' pic reveals one of the the Oxalis 'Ione Hecker' plants has got a very bad dose of rust (I can't bring myself to post a close up!). I did not have time to treat it when it first appeared and it has now really taken hold and the leaves look very unwell. Have sprayed Dithane. The plant is still flowering gamely.
Overhead pic shows how the plants have filled out compared to the end April ( http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11785.msg304559#msg304559 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11785.msg304559#msg304559) )
Some - a bit too much. The Erodium at the far end has now had a trim.
The little stars newly in flower are Sempervivum Arachnoideum and Campanula "Dickson's Gold".
Two weeks ago I took offsets from the Semps for another little project and they rooted very quickly in a tray kept in the greenhouse, they will be ready to plant out next week.
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That looks great, Matthew.
Where else apart from "rock and alpine gardening" could you get such a wonderful garden with so many plants in such a small place making such a good show in such a short space of time? And one that will go on to give pleasure for so many years to come with only gentle maintenance ?
Rock plants really do rock!!!!
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Well done Matthew, looks good.
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Mid July update.
Well I seem to have lost two Oxalis Ione Hecker to rust - all the vegetation is dried and brown - there are some tiny new leaves appearing but I am not optimistic.
Coydalis Kingfisher has put out some new lush leaves after looking unhappy since it flowered in May.
Erodium 'Spanish Eyes' is very (too?) vigorous and has had several trims - but it continues to flower prolifically, responding well to dead heading.
I cut dried seed heads from Gentiana verna and sowed the minute seeds in a tray placed in an open frame covered with fine net to stop other seeds having a go - fingers crossed!
Campanulas are looking great: Lynchmere (pic) is prolific and arvatica (pic) quite the opposite but very pretty.
Gentiana saxosa has produced its first flower (pic).
The greatest joy this month for me though is the Physoplexis comosa (pic) - this was a 'must grow' plant as I have failed over several years to see this rarity in its natural habitat on cliffs in the Dolomites. The plant seems happy in its shady, well drained, steep crevice. The single magnificent flower is rather small and its complex structure is almost best appreciated as a photo displayed on a big screen!
Aubretia Bressingham Red is still flowering, but this must be the last few. Zauschneria pumilio has formed a good sized mat/cushion but is only flowering at the periphery so far.
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Very nice Matthew, some good tips there for those looking for Summer flowering plants for a crevice.
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Matthew, can you please post a picture of Zauschneria pumilio? That's a new one to me and would love to see it.
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Thanks David - when I was choosing plants I found it quite hard to work out when they would be in flower, the SGRC monthly logs were useful, but it was still hard to tell.
Astragalus, very happy to do that, I will post a pic next weekend when I'm back home.
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Astragalus - here are pics of Zauschneria 'Pumilio' taken in mid-July. It was planted from a 7cm pot in April and has spread quite rapidly. You can get an idea of the spread from the 'above' pic, to give an idea of scale the timber sleeper in the pic is about 10cm wide - hopefully the plant should now be close to its maximum size, but we'll see. The foliage has formed an attractive soft cushion and the sprays of tubular orange flowers are currently only around the perimeter. I'll do an update if the flower distribution changes.
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What a beautiful little crevice garden Matthew..........very inspiring.
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Thanks Mike! Friendly comments from leading lights such as you on this forum are most encouraging! I also appreciate the mix of deep knowledge and laugh out loud humour, both of which are good to develop!
David N, regarding mid- summer blooms: I mentioned previously that my aim is to get year-round flowering, so far only 4 months of flowering achieved and in the easy part of the year - but there has always been something! If things go bloomless soon I'll be asking for expert tips. Fortunately Erodium and Erigeron just go on and on and Dianthus comes back again. Physoplexis c. finished very quickly after working exceeding hard to make its one small but magnificent contribution.
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Early September and the return of mild weather.
The general view emphasises how several plants have filled out and formed good cushions or mats.
Silvery leaved mat on the left is Antennaria dioica 'Alex Duguid', front and centre is Aubretia 'Bressingham Red' forming a lovely dense cushion, Zaushneria at the front right now spreading over the edge and still flowering freely (see detail pic). Behind it is Phlox subulata 'Nettleton Variation' with interesting red/green variegation. These two now crowding out a Sysirinchium which I might move in Autumn - hmmm apparently it doesn't like that but it has not been very happy where it is anyway.
Behind the Aubretia is Pulsatilla vulgaris which has grown quite bushy - it only produced one flower (but a cracker) as a small plant this year - hopefully many more next spring!
This week's star plant is Gentiana farreri 'Shot Silk' the name of this variety perfectly describes its stunning flower which looks great at the top of the ridge. In the background of this pic Erodium 'Spanish Eyes' continues a long season - it has been continuously in flower since the end of April and seems to thrive on being cut back regularly - it is just a bit too big and vigorous but such a great performer it has earned its place.
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Sorry I haven't posted for a couple of months - too busy with winter jobs in the garden. There have been croci in flower since October but I missed them.
Just had to get the camera out today though because Crocus laevigatus 'Fontenayi' looks so lovely fully opened out straining for the weak winter sunshine. Not much else in flower but there are perhaps a dozen very small single flowers scattered on Lithodora diffusa 'Heavenly Blue' and a couple on Corydalis 'Kingfisher'. For both these plants, the winter flower colour is noticeably more purplish than in spring. It will be interesting to see if they revert to a lighter blue next year.
The last picture is a general view showing a canopy I put up a few weeks ago to protect plants from winter wet - some of them are a bit susceptible to this. As you can see I just went for the blanket approach rather than putting up individual ones. Hopefully this is good enough - fingers crossed.
Happy Christmas everyone!
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Such a lovely sunny afternoon. The protection was removed last weekend. Now it will be fascinating to see what has survived the relatively mild winter (hmm could be more to come) - there are some very unpromising looking twigs in places as you can see in the overview pic - patience needed! The low afternoon light caught Saxifraga opposotifolia looking great. Only one flower so far on Saxifraga 'Jenkinsiae' (× irvingii) but more to come - a very compact plant.
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Coming along very nicely Matthew
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I agree with David - looking good indeed.
Did you have any problems with the winter wet cover taking off in high winds? It looks much neater than some I've seen and it's certainly done the job.
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Thanks David; good question Maggi and quite right too! The cover did blow off once but it did not take the rather spindly framework with it because the horizontal bamboos were cunningly lashed to the quite sturdy trellis behind the bed. The failure occurred because the cover was only held down with stretchy brown plastic garden tie. Next winter I must remember to fix horizontal bamboos on top as well as underneath.
Looking back at the December pic just now it is striking how the variegation of the Phlox subbulata has changed. It was almost all green in December and now it has got the lovely reddish tints back. Looks very attractive just now at the front of the bed, just hanging over the edge.
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A dull wet day today, brightened considerably by Scilla siberica 'Spring Beauty' which is a deep blue - an uncommon colour at this time of year. The flower buds emerged low on the ground last weekend and then popped up on delicate stems in just one week. Starting on the ground is hazardous - something had nibbled a good few of the first buds - possibly mouse or bird. Nodding down they modestly hide great beauty inside the bell flowers.
The second photo shows what has happened to some of my rock slabs over the winter: with the bedding plane exposed vertically water has got in, frozen and expanded causing splitting. So the cotswold sandstone I selected is not very weatherproof when set on edge like this - could be a costly error - at this weathering rate it is possible that in just a few years I'll have to rebuild. On the other hand, I really like the natural appearance of the shattered stone: geomorphology in action!
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A great piece of gardening Matthew. If you can bear not to identify the plants (i.e. remember what they are) I would remove the labels. Perhaps putting the names on a drawing instead? I found when I first planted my "scree" that I ended up with more labels than plants. :-[
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Black labels work very well and don't stand out. I push mine in so only a little bit is showing
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Thanks for the compliment Ian. I had thought of getting rid of labels as there is quite a forest of them, but do like to have the names right there (my memory often needs refreshing!) and I know I would not keep a sketch up to date. I have gone with Mark's solution of black labels and will remove the suppliers' labels this year. Mark I'd be interested to know how long the writing lasts on yours.
For permanent labelling in the garden I have been making engraved labels for a while (sold as 'scratch-on' labels but the scratching tool supplied with them is not great to use). The picture shows one that has been through 5 winters and it's as good as new. It's a bit of a faff of course so if I'm in a hurry I just use a white label and pencil until I have time to write a black one. I don't use a wire attachment in the crevice bed, but pushing them into my gritty soil mix is tricky so I use an old blunt carving knife to make a deep slot for them.
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The knife trick is excellent for helping to place labels. It's especially good when you're working with a narrow crevice - you don't want to wiggle the label in and possibly destroy roots in the process.
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An alpine nurseryman I know used to make labels out of aluminium sheet, such as that used for caravans. Perhaps a caravan dealer has off-cuts? He used to scribe the plant name with a sharp tool. These are then less obtrusive.
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Sunny today - and Scilla siberica 'Spring Beauty' is now in full bloom - the bells of last week have opened up to stars.
After the previous discussion initiated by Ian I am now noticing those intrusive labels - a campaign is needed!
Must make progress with making black ones and burying them.
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Saxifraga Porophylla ferdinandi-coburgi 'Drakula' - a long name for a very small plant with a tiny but beautiful yellow flower - of course everyone who sees it says 'shouldn't it be red?'
And next to it Saxifraga 'Jenkinsiae' (× irvingii) again, with a few new blooms.
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Easter weekend was dull until today (Monday) which was brilliantly sunny all day - got lightly sunburned. Went to Wisley yesterday; interesting to see their Pulsatilla vulgaris in an open bed fully in flower yet mine, only 20 miles away, is still making flower buds and probably a couple of weeks from blooming. The sunshine brought out Tulipa aucheriana's lovely flowers held on very short stems. The pics show three of these in mid-morning with one open and two closed. By mid afternoon all three were fully out. Armeria juniperifolia contours itself nicely around the crevices and is starting to bloom. The general pic shows that the campaign for black labels is almost completed - you can hardly see them now can you! ::)
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A few combinations emerging now, the profile pic shows Tulipa aucheriana at the front with Armeria juniperifolia fully flowered in its crevice and Corydalis 'Kingfisher' on the mini plateau behind the crevice. Colour graduations in the Corydalis flowers are beautiful. The semps have thrown off their winter tiredness, they are looking glossy again and providing perfect homes for small spiders. I was delighted to see the first small leaves of Physoplexis comosa this morning - was worried I had lost it.
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I thought at the time you were making this bed, Matthew, that the colour of the stone would look well with the plants and now that things are growing so well, that is certainly the case.
I'd be a wee bit worried that the Corydalis 'Kingfisher' might get too big for the site. :-\
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It's looking great Matthew.
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Update from 18 April - posting delayed due to holiday.
Thanks for the comments David and Maggi.
A 20cm clear space was allowed for the Corydalis in the original planting Maggi and so far it is abiding with the plan - see the 'detail above' shot. The Phlox and the Erodium have not read the rules though - of which more later.
Something has been nibbling two Bulbocodium vernum (both leaves and buds) for several weeks now - so no flowers this year. I originally thought it was mouse but the current damage pattern looks like insect. I'd appreciate advice on what is causing the damage and how to control it.
Great to see Gentiana verna's deep blue flowers (but I have to get up close to admire them as they are less than 1cm across), and good old Erigeron aureus 'Canary Bird' has started its outstandingly long flowering season.
Phlox subulata has started flowering - it is getting rather large but I don't mind so far as it can drape over the timber edge, it has lots of buds and promises a great display. The strappy leaves of the Scilla (now finished flowering) contrast well in both form and colour.
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It's coming on well, Matthew.
It looks like grazing damage to your Bulbocodium vernum, I would suspect molluscs. It would be a good idea to go out an hour after dark with a torch and you may well find the culprit/s.
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Thanks Chris - of course you were right: the culprit was a small snail.
Today's update has pics from 27th April.
Dwarf Rhododendron 'Night Sky' is a cracker in full bloom now, with its commanding high position at the far corner.
Pulsatilla vulgaris has five blooms and more to come (only had one last year). The yellow stamens provide a contrasting splash to the pinks and blues currently dominating.
The Phlox subulata 'Nettleton's variation' is covered in flowers and already rather large, might need trimming at the back as it is starting to crowd the semps.
General view shows many plants really getting into full stride (apart from a few failures which I'll own up to in a future post).
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Today is probably maximum bloom time, with the most plants in bloom simultaneously. The spring flowers are going over and the early summer ones are coming on as you can see in the overview pic. Lithodora diffusa is making a large blue splash in the middle and making it easy to miss the small Polygala next to it.
So I think now is also a good time to own up to some of the failures. Those of a nervous disposition look away now!
The Penstemon davidsonii which established very well in its first year has died, not sure why - I will dig it out and do a post mortem on the roots.
The Saxifraga 'Cloth of Gold' is more a cloth of brown, but is struggling on and has put out a couple of flowers. The brown parts are completely dead and if pulled detach right at ground level. Advice on what is wrong and how to recover would be gratefully received.
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If it's any consolation Matthew my Penstemon davidsonii finished up as a replica of yours. I gave it a chance to re-bud, but nix and hoiked it out. I've never had any success with Mossy Saxes, like yours they go brown in the middle and quietly fade to nothing. I used to think that they just didn't like Devon Summers (one day hot sun next day chucking it down) but having read Malcolm McGregor's 'Saxifrages' it may well be partly because I tried to grow them as I would any alpine. McGregor says "The hybrid mossy saxifrages generally like a heavier, more moisture-retentive soil than is normally suggested for a rock garden, where the great need is to provide most of the plants with extra drainage........"
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Thanks very much David for your coincidental confession. Makes me feel so much better! :)
I have resolved to try Sax 'Cloth of Gold' again (it is a lovely plant I would like to succeed with), this time with a large soil pocket and going heavy on the leaf mould.
I just noticed how weird the overview pic looks is in my last post - apologies for that; the funny perspective is because I was on a step ladder trying to get all the plants in and also avoiding casting my shadow onto the bed.
The Penstemon was disinterred this afternoon and the findings on the mortuary slab are very interesting. As you can see, the roots failed to progress from their original pot-formed root ball into the surrounding soil. So it seems clear that this poor plant just expired from a lack of nutrient and fluid. This fully validates an earlier discussion on this blog between Maggi and Chris on the importance of washing out the roots from bought plants so they can properly set up a new home in the local soil mix.
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I was too hasty in the last post - there is even more going on in the crevice bed now. It is enjoyable to take a few minutes to sit and look at it in between gardening jobs.
The Rhododendron is finished but aubretia is now out, the crusted saxifrages are both in flower and a Rhodohypoxis baurii teraploid white is indeed a brilliant white at the front right. Shy Ramonda myconii in its shady nook has produced a first flower with a few more to come - the leaves have been looking a bit unhealthy since January and I thought I had lost it but it seems to be picking up slowly. The Edelweiss has perked up (another one in a slightly shadier damper location did not make it through winter - microclimate is so important), I like the way it almost mirrors the Pulsatilla vulgaris flower in this pic. Antennaria Dioica 'Alex Duguid' has spread a lot to form a dense mat - I was not overly impressed with it last year but now it is bigger the silver vegetation looks great at all times and the en-masse effect of the flowers is very pleasing though they are rather insignificant individually.
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David, Penstemon davidsonii can respond beautifully to being cut back, dug up, any dead roots pruned, and replanted in fresh mix in full sun. The little shrubby penstemons can also usually be layered for new plants. They really want to keep going.
Matthew, your crevice garden is lovely. Isn't it amazing how many plants a crevice garden will support?
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David, Penstemon davidsonii can respond beautifully to being cut back, dug up, any dead roots pruned, and replanted in fresh mix in full sun. The little shrubby penstemons can also usually be layered for new plants. They really want to keep going.
Anne, wish I'd known that before it hit the compost heap :'( ;D
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I'm getting the itch to expand the amount of the garden devoted to alpines but according to the head gardener there isn't another suitable site ;)
Actually I tend to agree with her, so have made the small addition shown in the attached pic instead ;D
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Have not posted for a month! Been away a lot. Activity has quietened in the crevice bed and many plants have gone over, the most vigorous have been given a brutal trim to stop them crowding out the daintier specimens. Antennaria dioica 'Alex Duguid' has a mass of seed heads now (pic). The current highlight is the spectacular and rather curious flower spike of Sempervivum 'Red Spider', which though odd is also very beautiful in close up (see the 'above' pic). S. 'Irazu' is also preparing its display (see Sempervivums pic).
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Hello! I thought it might be interesting to do a short post showing the garden in its third year.
Overview pictures taken today - which is when both the spring and summer flowerers are in bloom.
Many of the original plants are still going strong. There have been some replacements due to losses from my incompetence, frost and slug.
It is great to see the Physoplexis comosa coming back again this year after it was completely mown down by slug at flowering time last year.
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You must be well pleased with it, Matthew - it is so full of flower 8) Impressive performance even with the frost and slugs.