THE EDIT

It’s a 1970s rockery revival: the best alpine plants for the job

The tiny perennials are the height of fashion — so get thee to a rockery (or just use a container)
Louise Curley
The Sunday Times
Sempervivum arachnoideum will thrive on green roofs or in raised beds, gaps in walls or shallow pots. Rosettes of fleshy green leaves with red tips form tightly packed carpets; the fine white threads stretching from the leaf tips explain why it’s known as the ‘cobweb houseleek’
Sempervivum arachnoideum will thrive on green roofs or in raised beds, gaps in walls or shallow pots. Rosettes of fleshy green leaves with red tips form tightly packed carpets; the fine white threads stretching from the leaf tips explain why it’s known as the ‘cobweb houseleek’
ALAMY
Louise Curley
The Sunday Times

What goes around comes around. According to Wyevale, 15% of its perennial plant sales are now alpines — and, to meet the growing demand, the group will be introducing rockery zones to its garden centres this year.

Part of the appeal of these little gems is that you don’t even need a garden. You can grow them in raised beds or containers, where they can be appreciated up close for their exquisitely small flowers and dainty mounds of foliage.

The key is to give them plenty of drainage. Use one part horticultural grit to three parts John Innes No 2 compost and add a layer of pea shingle or grit to the surface. Not only will this keep moisture away from the plant, it will