ALPINE HOUSE (Rock gardener's library) - Hardcover

For as long as the cultivation of alpine plants has been a significant activity, the need to imitate certain conditions of their natural environment has been apparent. To cultivate them to an acceptable standard requires a well-drained compost where the available plant foods are released slowly, low temperatures and the correct moisture balance. Light levels also need consideration, for one of the main challenges in growing alpines away from their native habitats is to reproduce the tightness of form and condensed appearance that frequently characterise healthy plants in the wild. Finally, when they do flower, it is not always at a time when viewing them in the open garden is convenient or desirable. Much can be achieved in the open garden, and the number of alpines that will thrive outside is certainly far greater than people have until quite recently acknowledged. But even given piecemeal winter cover, extra efficient drainage and well-judged planting positions, many alpines will, indisputably not tolerate the local climate in all its phases. The alpine house, which in one form or another has been with us for over a century, provides ideal conditions, under glass, for the cultivation of many alpines and the over-wintering of others. Many growers would consider the ability to grow plants in an alpine house as one of the most important and challenging aspects of alpine gardening, particularly if they exhibit their plants. This book provides a thorough and complete overview of the care and cultivation of alpines under glass.