Alpine borders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These borders are very easy to look after and look good all the year round. The gravel covering helps keep down weeds and provides really good drainage which these plants love. Most of the plants tend to flower in spring/early summer so I have planted some french lavenders and a few tender perennials (gazania, marguerite and osteospermum) to keep the colour going throughout the summer. I think the trick with these borders is not to put the plants too close together so that some of the gravel can be seen. The terracotta pots give the borders a Mediterranean feel and add some structure during the winter months. The terracotta strawberry pots are especially useful as they add some height to the alpine border. They dry out very quickly which makes them pretty useless for growing strawberries but ideal for some alpines. One of the pots (centre of the bed) contains mixed sedums. The pot at the far end contains houseleeks (Sempervivum). I also have a third which I plant up each summer with annual mesembryanthemums which look really nice when they open on a sunny day.

 

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