==== ==== Success With Alpine Strawberrues in Rock Gardens http://www.organicgardeningpractices.com/alpinestrawberry.php ==== ==== ==== ==== Success With Alpine Strawberrues in Rock Gardens http://www.organicgardeningpractices.com/alpinestrawberry.php ==== ==== Some of the plants normally chosen for alpines can often be difficult to grow. This is usually because of climate displacement. Growing at high altitude in their natural environments, they have particular strengths and weaknesses. These are the easiest to grow and most popular alpine and rock-garden plants. Try them yourself: alyssum, Anemone Aquilegia arabis campanula glory of the snow Corydalis broom daphne gentian Hardy geranium iberis Juniper Potentilla primula pasque flower dwarf willow saxifraga Scilla thyme veronica. More Alpine Advice: Use low walls with hollow tops to grow alpine plants such as saxifrages. Site rock-gardens in full sun and away from trees which will drop leaves onto the plants. Mix plenty of grit with the soil as most alpine plants require good drainage. For the most natural effect, lay the rocks so that the natural lines will run the same way, mimicking the strata in a real mountainside. Make a deep scree bed of stone chippings on the lowest level of your rock-garden. Use this for the plants which require the most drainage. Protect alpine plants from rain-induced winter rotting with a pane of glass laid over them. Support the glass on wooden pegs and weigh it down with a large stone. Use a terracotta strawberry pot to grow saxifrages or sempervivums, choosing varieties with pink tinges to complement the color of the pot.
If your alpine mat-forming plants go bald in the middle, put a heavy stone in the centre of the plant and fill the spaces round it with compost to allow the plant to grow hack in. Since many alpine plants are small, to appreciate them better, grow them in pots which can be kept up off the ground. Closer to eye-level. If you can't afford to buy good sized rocks for a rock-garden, grow your alpines in a scree bed. This is basically a deep bed filled with granite chippings, with some larger stones strategically placed to give a natural effect. Choose plants that are all of the same scale. Make a miniature alpine garden in an old stone sink. To give it some height, include a dwarf conifer, or a chunk of tufa which stands up above the surface and can have planting holes made in it. When buying alpine plants, check that they haven't started to rot at the base by brushing your hand across them. If they lift off the compost, leave them. When building a rock-garden, use a local stone to blend in with the other surroundings. Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sophie_Glard Success With Alpine Strawberrues in Rock Gardens http://www.organicgardeningpractices.com/alpinestrawberry.php ==== ==== ==== ==== Success With Alpine Strawberrues in Rock Gardens http://www.organicgardeningpractices.com/alpinestrawberry.php ==== ====