Plant of the Month: May
Alpines
Our plants of the month for May are alpines. These charming plants are a popular choice in the garden. Grow them in pots, rock gardens or at the front of your flower borders. As the name suggests, alpines can grow in cold, mountainous regions with stony soil, which makes them hardy and low maintenance. Our favourites include sedum and saxifrage, which are both bee-friendly, and the dianthus.
are drought-resistant succulents with blooms of pink, red or white in late summer and autumn. They thrive best in full sun. They are low-growing and a good choice for rockeries. Like most alpines, they can tolerate poor soil conditions.
Dianthus, or pinks, flower in shades of pink and white in the summer and autumn. They prefer full sun. Like sedums, they are drought-resistant, but to maximise flowers, water and deadhead them regularly.
Saxifrage blooms in spring and early summer in shades of white and pink. It can spread and form a dense mat, so is great for ground cover. It isn’t as drought resistant as some other alpines, but it likes well-drained soil in shade or partial sun. Its Latin name means ‘stone-breaker’, so it’s at home in a rock garden.
If you have a herb garden, mix in some alpines as they go well with herbs such as thyme, oregano and rosemary. Alpines hate sitting in cold, waterlogged soil, so when planting, add a generous mix of well-rotted manure and horticultural grit to help with drainage.
Garsons Card holders benefit from 20% off our Plants of the Month, so stock up on an array of alpines in May to add colour and interest to your garden from spring through to autumn.
