There’s nothing quite like alpine plants. These plants might look small and delicate; yet, they’re some of the best plants for our climate. Here, at Almondsbury, we have a great selection of alpine plants on offer.
Hailing from mountainous climes, alpine plants have adapted to survive in a low-temperature, rugged area that make them fantastic for gardens as they are usually compact and low-growing. Alpines aren't just one family of plants; the term actually refers to the habitats that they originate from.
It can be easy to miss them when you’re scouting for new plants for your garden. Alpines don’t have the height or size of dahlias, roses and other climbers; but they do have the diversity of all of these plants. From intriguing shapes through to colours – the alpines we have on display in our outdoor plants section will create a great feature in your garden.
Alpine plants are fantastic additions to hanging baskets and containers, making them equally good for gardens that are short of space, or terraces and balconies. You can, of course, build your own rockery to bring a new and very different feature or area to your garden.
This can be achieved fairly easily by selecting a trough or sink with good drainage holes. Take John Innes No 1 compost and mix this half-and-half with a multi-purpose compost. You can add a little grit to improve drainage. You can then add small rocks to produce a landscape that’s suitable for the alpine plants.
We have 2 litre pots of alpines for £5.99 each, or for £10 if you buy two. This offer includes plants such as Lithodora ‘Grace Ward’, an alpine with small clusters of star-shaped flowers painted in dainty blues. There’s the rather interesting plant, Phlox ‘Candy Stripe’ on offer as part of the deal, too. This alpine holds bright pink flowers amongst a bushy green series of leaves. And then we also have the pale white-blossomed Arenaria ‘Avalanche’ on display.
What’s attractive about alpine plants is that you can find small, delicate flowers in the collection, as well as bold tones produced by the foliage of other plants. With certain combinations of bright flowers amongst these striking foliage plants, you could create rockeries that, despite their size, draw attention and intrigue.
Because of their acclimatisation to mountainous areas, alpine plants should survive the Winter. This quality makes them perfect for anyone looking to build a low maintenance garden but doesn’t want to compromise on colour and intrigue.