Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Alpines => Topic started by: Cephalotus on May 06, 2008, 11:04:58 PM
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Hello everyone,
last days I have negotiated a small space for my own rock garden. I know that it is more symbolic but for me it is all I can have. I had to think how to grow on it two types of plants. One that likes ‘Ca2+’ in soil and second that grow only on granite. I thought about three slopes (lets say). On the photo: from left to right, from right to left and from behind forward. On almost whole left side are growing species that like granite. On the right are species that like Ca in soil. And between them are species that can successfully grow on both types of soil. Almost all species are typical alpines, only few do not grow in mountains.
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/skalniak.jpg)
(Could you help me fine a word for "a species that LIKES something" for example: species that likes the soil to be acid pH... I cannot find that anywhere.)
Here is the list of species that are and will be in my small rock garden (with reseres space):
Calcium rich soil:
Androsace lactea - must get
Campanula cochlearifolia
Crocus scepusiensis
Gentiana clusii
Gentiana verna - ordered
Leontopodium alpinum
Phyteuma orbiculare
Primula auricula
Primula halleri - must get
Pulsatilla slavica
Saxifraga caesia - ordered
Saxifraga oppositifolia
Saxifraga paniculata
Trollius altissimus - must get
Veronica acaulis
+ 2 free spaces
Middle area:
Campanula barbata
Dianthus arenarius
Dianthus glacialis - must get
Dianthus superbus
Gentiana pneumonanthe (foil)
Parnassia palustris (foil)
Pulsatilla pratensis ssp. nigricans
Silene acaulis
Swertia perennis (on foil)
+ one free space
Granite rich soil:
Anemone narcisiflora
Gentiana punctata
Geum montanum
Primula minima
Pulsatilla vernalis
Pulsatilla alpina - must get
Sempervivum montanum
+ one free space
(There are still many species I am looking for.)
Few photos:
Gentiana clusii (got from johanneshoeller)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/goryczkakluskusza.jpg)
Swertia perennis (got thanks to Thomas Huber)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/niebielistkatrwala1.jpg)
Primula auricula (got from johanneshoeller)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/pierwiosnekluszczak.jpg)
Veronica aphylla
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/przetacznikrozyczkowaty.jpg)
Pulsatilla pratensis ssp. nigricans
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/sasankalakowa.jpg)
Pulsatilla slavica
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/sasankaslowacka.jpg)
Pulsatilla vernalis
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/sasankawiosenna.jpg)
I cannot wait until my garden will get its last species shape and start flowering. :)
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Well done Krzysztof, it is a great start but I'm sure you'll be looking for more space soon. :)
When something likes something, like lime, you could say it is a calciphile I suppose. Calcifuge means that it HATES lime. My knowledge of my own language is letting me down here. Someone who loves the French and all things French is a francophile and the opposite would be francophobe. Not sure about acid though An acidophile? doesn't really sound right though, does it?
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Thank you Lesley for helping me finding the word. Sometimes the simple things are the most complicated. :D
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Great bed, Chris !!!
Still no sign of the Gladiolus :-\
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Great start Chris !
You are what we could call "a man with a plan" ! :D
I agree with Lesley, you will soon be looking for more space ;D
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Please, do not scare me with that looking for more space. :D It is a miracle, that I got some for my rock garden. :) I must say, that I understand all hotheads what have limited space. It will always be too little, poor we. ;)
Thomas, I know that you can only see two plants of three Swertia you got for me. Do not worry, the biggest one is in my cousins garden and grow just fine. It will even flower this year in stead of mine two. Last year mine flowered and her not, now it will be opposite. (Do not worry about the Gladiolus one day I will get it, I can wait.)
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Krysztof,
Great bed there.... looking foward to seeing future pics as it matures. What Gladiolus are you looking for?
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I am looking for Gladiolus palustris.
I also would like to inform you all, that I have switched almost all rock in my garden into much thinner. So that I have much more space. I will add new photos when I get back home.
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I grow a few species Glads, but not that one unfortunately. I thought I'd ask just in case I had it to share.
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Hello Krysztof,
your rock garden looks very nice. I hope you get the species you're still looking for...
And I have to agree too about the fact that soon you'll be searching for more space, it's always like that...
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I want to share with you with my rock garden new outlook. I replaced almost all rocks, beside four the biggest ones. I need to do that, because there were too many species I wanted to plant on it, and I had no space to do that.
Well done Krzysztof, it is a great start but I'm sure you'll be looking for more space soon. :)
Why had you be right?
After that replacement, I gained 5 new sectors. Now my rock garden is almost compleated. I need only one last species: Dianthus glacialis
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/IMG_0950.jpg)
Swertia perennis ssp. alpestris, which Thomas helped me to buy is flowering now fully. Also two Gentiana clusii seem to go mad, because they started to produce flowers. (Two plants) This Sunday I spent about 6 hours sitting and looking at my rock garden. I just couldn't go away. That is indescribable feeling.
I almost forgot, I sown Crocus scepusiensis seeds in different sectors. It will flower when the other species will still sit in the ground. I cannot wait for that to see!
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Perhaps you could squeeze in a few more little crocuses Krzysztof. :) I am having a lot of pleasure from mine at present and it's still winter here!
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The garden is looking good.... so much growth already, very pleasing!
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Leasly, why had you be so right, why? :) I have rebuild my rock garden for the third time. I think that it will be finally the last one, because I cannot think about any other species I would like to see on it and there is really no more space to make it any bigger. :) I only plan to ADD one small segment to plant there temperate Pinguicula, that grow in my country and that would be all. There are still few species I am looking for but I thought about them and "booked" them a place to grow.
I will firstly add photos of my last piece of art and than say something in addition.
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/IMG_1730.jpg)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/IMG_1731.jpg)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/IMG_1735.jpg)
I would like to say, that I have found really great, great, great, ..., great place to buy species from Tatra Mountains. I really regret, that Poles hadn’t the same idea, but gladly someone had. A friend have told me, that in Tratras Botanical Garden in Slovakia are many species sold from their parts of the mountains. Of course they have collected once some in nature and propagated by their selves. There were about 60 species in the beginning! And many really awesome!! I will write what I have bought:
Silene acaulis
Dianthus glacialis x 3
Dianthus nitidus x 3
Dianthus speciosus x 2
Swertia perennis ssp. alpestris
Saxifraga oppositifolia
Trollius altissimus
Delphinium oxysephalum x 2
Primula minima
Hedysarum hedysaroides x 2
Astragalus australis x 2
I think, that it is all. I brought with me 5 bags of plants. Plus these from Warsaw (e.g. Saxifraga bryoides) I had 6 bags and over 15 kg for each hand. I could make about 50 m with that and I were loosing my sense in both arms. :) But it was so worth! Now my rock garden is full like never before. I even put Soldanellas in the shaded part.
As I know they sell plants from end of May and I was on the beginning of September so I was glad to buy so many species... I plan to go there again to buy wanting species and that would be all. :) I also thought if not to take some more plants for any of SRGC Forum member, but believe me, there was no chance I could take anything more. If only I could go there by a car, than it would be different.
I learned how to grow Saxifraga oppositifolia. They had two carpets of this species. All were placed in northern-east site so the plant had only eastern sun. I did the same, we will see the results in the spring.
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....I only plan to ASS one small segment ....
Chris, I like your slang ;D ;D ;D Isn't it funny, how a little mistake can change the sense of a posting ;D ;D
Great art work you did with your rockgarden. Won't you like to join me, building my new one?
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Heheh, really nice mistake I made there. No wonder my Word didn't found it, because there is such as word. :D I had fun of it too. :)
Thomas, I would really be glad to help you build your new rock garden, but I have only 8 days of freedom left. If you will be building it in the next summer I will be glad to visit you and help as much as I can. :) I already helped with carrying over 100kg rocks for my aunts garden and making the right soil. So I see no problems here. :)
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Krzysztof,
Very nice rock garden, I send you invitation to my garden in Poznań in Spring.
For me alpines from Tatra Mountains are rather more difficult to grow than these from Alps, Caucasus, Rila/Pirin etc.
maybe climat in Poznan is too hot.
I hope to see you next year on meeting od Rock Garden Enthusiasts in Poznan (usually >15.IV)
Michal
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It is time to show few effects of my last year hard work. :)
Viola alpina - I think I planted it quite well. :) Now it will be time to propagate it for others.
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/fioekalpejski.jpg)
Gentiana verna - I just forgot to make photo of that 14 flowers... I thought I had it, but I was mistaken. Next year it should be a blue carpet.
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/goryczkawiosenna.jpg)
Androsace chamejasme
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/naradkawosista.jpg)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/naradkawosista1.jpg)
Primula halleri - one have died, because it flowered in the winter and it must had weakened it... :/ That awful weather.
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/pierwiosnekhallera.jpg)
Precious stones of Polish nature:
Pulsatilla pratensis ssp. nigcricans
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/sasankakowa.jpg)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/sasankakowa1.jpg)
Pulsatilla slavica - it flowered just after one year in soil. That was very unexpected. I really do not know why it has that weird colour on the photo. In reality it was beautiful pink.
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/sasankasowacka1.jpg)
Pulsatilla vernalis - that one I also missed the bigger one when it was opened. That was a great view.
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/sasankawiosenna3.jpg)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/sasankawiosenna1.jpg)
A fragment of my rock garden flowering now.
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/skalniakwiosna.jpg)
Ending I will show my new creation. It costed about 100 Euro, 5 days of enormous work, 1,5-2 tons of stones, 1 ton of sand, 6 bags of flowers soil, 2 bags of worse garden soil, 25 L of LECA, 20 L of perlite, 90 kg of small granite and that will be all. :) I called it Orchidarium and the central part will be reserved mainly for orchids. But the surrounding part will be planted with some nice species I already have and some new ones that I will just get, or were too big to have them. :)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/orchidarium1.jpg)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/orchidarium.jpg)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/orchidarium2.jpg)
I hope to have some news after I come back home in summer.
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It is time to show few effects of my last year hard work. :)
Viola alpina - I think I planted it quite well. :) Now it will be time to propagate it for others.
Well done Krzystof - especially the violet seems to enjoy your conditions.
Does it occur in the Tatra mountains of Poland?
Gerd
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Your rock garden and plants look great, Chris! A plant that likes lime is a calcicole.
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Well done Krzystof - especially the violet seems to enjoy your conditions.
Does it occur in the Tatra mountains of Poland?
Gerd
Thank you Gerd, and I am answering your question with a photo if you agree.
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Parki%20Narodowe/Tatry/VI-VII%202008/IMG_8626.jpg)
Your rock garden and plants look great, Chris! A plant that likes lime is a calcicole.
Thank you Anne. I am still learning new words, and some are a bit harder to remember, since I do not have them in my dictionary. About my plants, I always try to do my best for them. My last visit to Tatra Moutains taught me much about requirements of my species. Sometimes I mix special soil for each species, so that it will compensate my climate and provide suitable conditions for them. Not so long ago I heard, that Viola alpina is very hard species to grow. But maybe I have found the solution. Let me grow it for few years more and I will be able to say that for sure. Also this year I intend finally to get Gentiana frigida, which I heard just impossible to grow. Still my friend, who has that species, made it flower. Maybe I will do the same, we shall see. For now, all species I have are growing well or very well. Now I have to propagate them and pay my huge debt to this forum. If all of you haven't helped me, where would I were today...
Chris
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Chris - Nice rock garden.
I love that Androsace.
Eric
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Chris - Nice rock garden.
I love that Androsace.
Eric
I agree!
There was a pretty example of Androsace chamaejasme in the Perth Show last Saturday....
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3412.15 (page two)
here: Reply #24 on: Today at 05:15:52 PM »
and other Andros in Reply #16 on: April 20, 2009, 09:36:49 PM
and Reply #27 on: Today at 05:22:15 PM »
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Well done Chris, you have grown some lovely plants, very well. The Viola alpina is especially beautiful. :)
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I have planted some Soldanellas on the east side. They are hidden by the rocks. They have very much light, but not even one gleam of sun. I hope that next year there will be very nice effect of that. I finally got Betula nana, and I will keep it small, so that it will look like a real tree in the mountains. Because it is tiny species from its nature, I will have not much work to keep it like that.
I also keep my Soldanellas out of my rock garden where they flowered nicely this year.
Soldanella montabna
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/urdzikgrski.jpg)
Soldanella carpatica - it finally started growing after soil change
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/urdzikkarpacki1.jpg)
Soldanella hungarica
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/urdzikwgierski.jpg)
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Chris,
Isn't it wonderful to see the garden mature after all that effort. I feel a bit the same way about my crocus garden I built last year, but mine are all bulbs so it only becomes noticeable when they're above ground each year. Yours are all looking brilliant. That beautiful deep and dark red Pulsatilla pratensis ssp. nigricans is just so striking. Wow, what a colour. :o So many other wonderful things you've posted as well. Thank you!
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Great work Chris !
It looks very nice after just one year !
Great prospect to have a new bed to fill !! :D
I've never succeeded to grow Androsace chamaejasme for more than 2 years in the garden... :'(
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That Viola alpina is a real stunner. The Pulsatilla's are very nice also.
Did you ever find the difference between Soldanella montana and Soldanella hungarica?
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Paul, if you are interested in P. pratensis ssp. nigricans, I should have loads of seeds this year. Last year I lost them, because the wind took them. Some have germinated on my rock garden, but I cannot send you any plants. So if you will like the seeds, there will be no problem.
Luc, I will see how long I will be able to keep alive my Androsace chamejasme, but after this year it looks like there should be no problem. I will try to produce some plants, because I have this species in two places, just in case. I will be able to write you what that species needs and you might try once again.
Wim, from the books, I really must say, that I could not really understand the difference they described, but after I saw all three species in the nature I knew which one is which. I will have to take a leaf of each and make a photo to show the difference. S. hungarica has leaves like S. carpatica, but much bigger, S. montana has a bit irregular shape of leaf edge. I also have found a person who had S. ghungarica, so I took it. :)
I will try to propagate everything that is flowering, so that I will be able to share with those beauties with other growers. Now I am waiting for that 10 flowers of Gentiana clusii to open. :) I hope my cousin will make a photo of them for me.
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Chris, congratulations on your garden, all your hard work has really paid off.
Your plants look so healthy and happy.
I especially like your viola and the pulsatillas, you've done a great job.
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Thank you for the answer = pic Krzysztof!
Unfortunately Viola alpina doesn't reach Germany! There is a station at the
' Wiener Schneeberg ' in Austria which is the most western occurence of this stunning plant.
Gerd
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Hello Chris!
your tiny rock garden has developed nicely.
P. slavica and pratensis ssp. nigcricans are superb! And the Viola excellent 8) 8)
The seed of C. vernus ssp. scepusiensis has germinated sucessfully!
Many thanks.
The Viola alpina did not recover from snail attacks last year.
It is finally lost :'(
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Hi,
I got a photo from my brother of my Gentiana clusii which I was given from Johannes Höller some time ago. Now it looks like that:
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Moj%20Ogrod/goryczkaKlusjusza1.jpg)
Cheers,
Chris
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Lovely, Chris. :)
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Another lovely Gentiana, Chris ..... your garden is proving very successful indeed with such happy plants.
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Such a gorgeous blue gentiana in the sunlight, the plant looks so happy in your rock garden which I have been watching develop in the hope that one day i will grow alpines from seed as well as you do :)
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Last year, when I went to Tatra Moutains in September, I have found a dead Gentiana with loads of seeds. I took some of them and sown in my rock garden. This year I saw hundreds of seedlings. If that seedlings are what I think they are, probably I brought Gentiana nivalis. :) I didn't believe I could germinate it successfully. If I will make it flower and than produce seeds I will be pleased to share them with you Ragged and other growers of course. :)
However, I am really surprised, how so small seedlings can produce a flower in one year. It is written, that this is an annual, not biennial plant. I am sure that in the first year the plant will grow up and flower the fastest in next year.
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Chris,
lovely blue gentian. Hope for your your breeding success ;)