HOW TO PLANT A MINIATURE ALPINE GARDEN
Starting with a shallow modern bowl, create this pretty display of easy-care alpines and succulents to enjoy their colours and textures throughout the year
1) Fill the bowl
Add a 2:1 mix of John Innes No 2 compost and grit to a bowl with a drainage hole at the bottom. Choose a range of plants.
2) Set out your plants
Place your succulents and alpines in their pots on the surface to check that they fit, and arrange them in a pattern.
3) Plant in the compost
Water the plants, then slip them out of their pots and plant up. Take care not to bury the stems and leaves. Water gently.
4 Add a gravel layer
Sprinkle a layer of decorative gravel between the plants. This keeps the leaves dry and prevents them from rotting.What plants to use for an alpine pot?
Houseleeks(Sepervivum) look like tiny leafy water lilies.
Thrift
(Armeria, shown in step 3) has pink summer blooms.
Saxifrage
(Saxafraga) blooms in spring and has pretty leaves too.
Lewisia
Bears colourful summer flowers over wide, fleshy leaves.
By Webbs
