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

[ichristie]

Last few, Ian

[ranunculus]

You will have a magnificent time, Ian … and a helicopter flight as well … wow!
Please pass on our very best wishes to all our wonderful southern hemisphere friends … and enjoy your time in those splendid alpine haunts.

[astragalus]

Things are wrapping up for the year despite the warm weather off and on.  It's mostly removing all leaves so the chicken wire can be put over the garden.  Bambi has been very active but our hunter got an 8 point stag yesterday, unfortunately just a drop in the bucket.  The hoof prints are all over the garden including all the crevice gardens.  There was a big print between two Eritrichium howardiis, right next to the one that seeded itself in a piece of tufa.  It has yet to bloom.  In my late afternoon tour today (which explains the picture colors - a very gold sun slants in from the west at this time of year).  Mostly leftover blooms now but two interesting finds - pods have formed after the 2nd bloom on Oxytropis multiceps, and one bloom on a gazania which hadn't bloomed at all.
1.  Gazania
2. Daphne velenovskyii 'Balkan Rose'

[astragalus]

Elsewhere in the crevice garden:

1.  Eritrichium howardii self-sown in tufa and almost a victim of Bambi's hoof
2.  Oxytropis multiceps pods forming after second bloom this year
3.  Zauschneria sp (probably 'Siskiyou Dwarf')

[krisderaeymaeker]

Nice update Anne . A bit envy to see your Eritrichium 

Here a little trough. For this trough I use the same rocks as the ones I used for my crevice.   

The target was to build a very smal crevice in a trough .........

[Tim Ingram]

That's very nice Kris! We have been promised two large 'Butler' sinks and must try something similar next spring if we can find some suitable rock.

[David Nicholson]

Looks very natural Kris.

[krisderaeymaeker]

Thanks Tim and David . 

[astragalus]

Kris, your trough is wonderful.  I also like the way you seem to have integrated the trough into the garden, it looks very natural.  I think the large troughs are the best for plant survival in a cold climate.
What are the measurements?  You seem to have found room for a lot of very good plants.  Do you protect it in any way during the winter?

[rgc]

Hi
In the last couple of days, I have made my first attempt at building a (very) small crevice garden. The scans are attached with some trepidation. Two views, the front which is south facing (but does not really get much sun at this time of year due to neighbouring houses) and the side.

The stones (rocks seems too grand a word) used to build the crevice are the re-use of some flat and relatively thin stones that I have been using as stepping stones around the garden for many years. (Bought round stepping stones from a garden centre to replace them in the rest of the garden.) The compost is 50% of my quite light garden soil plus 50% horticultural coarse grit.

Having a lack of patience, I added a few plants to see how they would get on. They are:
a Primula marginata 'Adrian Evans' that was displaced by the building of the crevice;
offsets from Saxifraga paniculata cartilaginea;
offsets from Saxifraga 'Grace Farwell';
offsets from Sempervivum arachnoideum;
a Gentian saxosa seedling (I have lots);
Raoulia australis.

More compost has still to be added to most of the crevices and I intend to do the main planting in (very) early spring.
Bob

[Maggi Young]

Good for you, Bob. Can't blame you for getting right to it an planting a few things you had to hand - a very natural reaction.
 I'm quite surprised the rain has been off long enough for you to get into the garden lately - seems a very soggy season to me. 

[David Nicholson]

Well done Bob, looks good.

[astragalus]

Nice start, Bob.  You'll be so amazed at how many plants your crevice garden will hold.

[rgc]

Thanks Anne, David and Maggi for the comments.

Maggi, it has been sunny here in Stirling all day. Hope that does not mean frost tonight. I have some half hardy Fuschia plants that survived last winter outside and which are still in full flower. Do not remember that before at this time of year.
Bob

[Maggi Young]

I've been noticing in the gardens round about here that the half-hardy fuchsias are still flowering really well.
 It's getting very nippy here tonight-  already some ice on the roof of the car  so we are in for  quite a frost . Hope you escape it.