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Ah! the plants. Where would we be without the plants? A well constructed rock garden will provide many different habitats for your plants. Crevices and valleys will be created along with the moraine and scree conditions of the open terraces. There are a multitude of alpine plants eminently suitable for rock garden culture and it would be futile of me to attempt a comprehensive listing, when experience tells me that no two gardeners share the same preferences. (If you have a few hundred pounds to spare [or even more dollars] you could treat yourself to a copy of the AGS Encyclopaedia Of Alpines), However, whether your choice is
for the high alpine androscaces, or the more common but
equally significant hybrid sempervivums, the same rules of
planting will apply. If the majority of your plant
acquisitions are seed raised, it may be as well to consider
growing them on, in a compost similar to that of their
eventual home. This will reduce the risk of failure when
transplanting them into the rock garden. If you use
predominantly nursery-grown stock, then talk to the
proprietor and find out what mix he uses for his sale
plants. A similar mix can then be added to the planting hole
in the rock garden, which should ensure less trauma for the
transplant. Another alternative is to remove the plants from
their pots and wash off all the soil from the roots and
transplant the bare-rooted specimen. This is a tricky
exercise at the best of times and should only be attempted
by the more experienced growers who will know "the right
time" to do it.
Again, I would not presume to tell the more experienced gardeners how to plant a plant. But if you are fortunate enough to know how to do it, then please have patience whilst I explain the principles ( See Diagram 5) to the beginner.
Remove the compost from the position your plant will take up and then take out a further 50%. Insert your plant into the hole and raise it up approx 3cm above the surrounding compost. Fill in the rest of the planting hole with the compost you removed and firm it around the roots of the plant, ensuring that the plant is secure in its new home. Top dress the plant with pea gravel, stone, grit, or whatever was in your grand design, making sure that the 3cm gap under the cushion/rosette is packed tightly with this top dressing. Top dress the surrounding area with the same stone, to the same level. This top dressing will ensure that the cushion/rosette has perfect drainage underneath it (a mandatory requirement) and that the surrounding soil will maintain an adequate moisture level. Water the plant thoroughly and regularly until it becomes established.
You will find, that to plant into crevices is a tricky operation. This is best done during the actual construction stage, thus avoiding the need to "squeeze" the plants into the smallest of spaces (See Diagram 6). Leave a space between two pieces of rock. Pack plenty of infill compost against the side of the left hand rock. Plant your plant and top dress it as instructed previously. Push the right hand piece of rock into position. Sprinkle in some infill compost and water thoroughly.
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