Crevice Gardening ......in defence of rock.....

[annew]

Hope I can get these photos to load OK -
After heavy rain overnight, we spent today getting joyously muddy, gradually building more on and back filling with my old spent bulb compost (in effect dirty sand!).

[annew]

Bad light stopped play by 3pm - we now have a whole herd of Stegosauri!

[Lesley Cox]

Well done Anne, and is that Barry? Looking forward to seeing the completed dinosaur graveyard  and subsequent planting. Roger has been saying "no" to my limestone slabs but I'm determined to move them as they have so much potential for rock garden projects. They've had so much potential for 25 years! Time to get on with it.

PM on the way.

[annew]

Yes, that's Barry wielding The Rubber Mallet. I have a much smaller one to play with..
I deliberately killed off the grass in autumn so the sight of the dead patch right outside my living room window would shame me into getting on with it.

[Leiomerus]

Thanks, Lesley.

A nice project, Annew.
If you want some advice, for the finishing touch, I would use some stones in another way. I hope you have some left.
Just smash the stones into small pieces of different calibers and use these as top dressing. In this way, the whole thing will look more natural.

[annew]

Thanks - yes, I am saving the smaller stones to do just that. 

[astragalus]

It will be great to see this planted.  Please post lots of pictures.

[annew]

I'm hoping to sow a lot of seeds directly, after it has had a month or 2 to settle, but I have a tray of alpines ready and waiting!

[bendgardener]

As I was reading today I remember the seeps on rock cliffs and scree slopes in the Oregon and Washington Cascades.  Has any one tried to replicate a moist spring, seep, type crevice garden?  It sounds like a fun challenge.  Water features are common in many gardens here in Oregon and a modified water garden could do the trick with just a trickle of water verses a stream of water. 
Winter is here in force now with 28 inches of snow at my cabin now and will not see soil for another 3 to 4 months. Lots of time to plan.
bob

[astragalus]

Snow, beautiful snow at last.  Only 8" covering the garden so far but it's a step in the right direction.  2' and up makes the deer flounder and they will keep out of the garden because it's so steep.

[Leiomerus]

This is my new crevice garden, full of rock and waiting for some plants.
It's not that big, but I have found a spot to try out my new stones that I got from the people that are building the new road.
It's a pleasant stone to work with; of course it's easy if you have a big pile to choose from.
Anyway, I like the result. I hope the future plants will too.

[Maggi Young]

That looks good- I like the way the path through can also be used for some planting.

[Lori S.]

That looks fabulous, Leiomerus!  Very natural!  Once again, I'm tempted to pull up my old beds and redo them.   

[Leiomerus]

Thanks ...

I couldn't wait to plant some Saxifrages on the north side of this little crevice garden. These Saxes are amongst my favorites and so they deserve to grow in this new creation. A picture of little plants of Sax. 'Allendale Charm', 'Your Song', 'Laka' and 'Cumulus' planted today between the rocks.

Also an ordinary primula  my son Lucas (5 years old) squeezed between the rocks of the path beneath the rock garden.
I hope he also will love rocks and plants.

[Lesley Cox]

Your son, Leiomurus, once he sees his little plant growing happily, will soon get the "bug" we all suffer from and be a keen gardener in no time at all.

I like that path too Maggi as it shows what is clearly now a garden and not just a pile of rocks. I'm looking forward to seeing the new spring plantings and how they will soon colonise this scree or moraine.