Alpine Plants

Alpine plants are plants that traditionally grow at high altitudes in alpine regions. These plants are often to be found on the slopes of many alpine mountains where they will grow on the mountain side up to the snow line. These plants are now very popular with many gardeners and many variations can be cultivated and grown in domestic gardens nowadays (without the need for a mountain!).

The most famous of all the alpine plants is probably Edelweiss. Immortalised in the Julie Andrews’ film, The Sound of Music, this is just one of many popular plants of this type. These small plants often produce extremely pretty flowers and, due to their natural places of growth, are often hardy and easy to care for.

For many gardeners, alpine plants are a natural and pleasant addition to rockeries and beds. They can also be successfully cultivated in pots and troughs making them a versatile choice for any garden. They don’t take up a lot of space and can often grow in close proximity with each other very successfully.

Due to their hardy nature and ability to grow in the poorest of conditions these plants are often used as a solution to fill areas of the garden where other plants and flowers simply won’t be able to thrive. Many gardeners will also cultivate their alpine plants in a greenhouse, however. These plants, despite their resilient nature, really do benefit from some warmth and sun.

Some gardeners won’t actually put some varieties of alpine plants in their gardens at all but will only use them for greenhouse and glass house displays. Some plants can be very delicate here and it may be worth checking how suited any alpine plant will be to the English climate, especially in the cooler months.

Generally, these alpine plants are meant to flourish with very little input if they are grown out of doors. After all, they manage very well on their own in the wild without any care and attention! Gardeners may need to read up on the care that they do need, however, to give them the best chance of flourishing.

So, for example, regular watering may be an issue with some alpine plants. Others may have a tendency to grow and spread fast so these may need careful placement and a watchful eye to make sure that they don’t spread too far and that they flower to optimum effect.