Viewing post #557543 by growitall

You are viewing a single post made by growitall in the thread called Just Thinking About It.
Avatar for growitall
Feb 17, 2014 9:32 PM CST
Name: Lori
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Plant Identifier
And to answer... Here's my response to Lyn's question about growing Campanula shetleri, in quotes below, which seems relevant to repeat here.

Note that the concern is not a "a wet winter" but the conditions of drainage (more specifically, not enough drainage) that leads to "winter wet" .

"Winter wet is the biggest foe for people trying to grow alpine plants - much more so than cold, which most are perfectly adapted to handle - but it's combatted by good drainage. Drainage is what alpine plants are adapted to, growing on rocky slopes, in scree and in vertical cliffs. In other words, those 50 inches of rain (more than 3x what we get here, by the way, most of which is in the form of snow and melts and runs off while the ground is still frozen), or several meters of snow, don't soak into humusy soil around the base of the plant; instead, conditions are lean - there is not a lot of organic matter in alpine areas, due to harsh conditions and slow plant growth and slow decomposition. The snowmelt instead drains away through highly permeable rocky substrates.

Sure, by all means try it, particularly if you are already growing alpines and have built suitable beds or troughs with lean soil and excellent drainage. This is a plant that I was unable to grow in regular soil conditions here; this is an area, where, due to generally dry conditions, we can grow quite a few good alpines easily even in regular soil. But with the proper conditions, it is certainly growable.

You may be able to find it from alpine plant specialist nurseries in your area, or if not, you can get seeds from alpine seed specialists, or by joining alpine plant societies (NARGS, SRGC) and taking part in the annual seed exchanges."

The slope looks like a great spot for a rock garden!
Last edited by growitall Feb 17, 2014 9:36 PM Icon for preview

« Return to the thread "Just Thinking About It"
« Return to Rock Gardens forum
« Return to the Garden.org homepage

Member Login:

( No account? Join now! )