Ivydene Gardens Rock Garden Plants Suitable for Small Gardens in Colour Wheel Gallery:
Site Map

Click on 1 of 48 Colours or 4 colours of Black in
Rock Plant Colour Wheel - Flowers Link Map
in any page in this gallery to get that Colour Page.

There are 3 sections of Rock Garden Plants compared in this Gallery:-

• There are 1 rock garden plants (with photos) suitable for small garden areas from 4000 x 3000 pixel Raw Camera Images taken by Chris Garnons-Williams or digitised by Chris Garnons-Williams of 35mm slides taken by Ron or Christing Foord on pages linked to via the relevant page in Plant with Photo Index of Ivydene Gardens Gallery; split into:-
  • 0 Bulbs
  • 0 Deciduous Shrubs
  • 1 Evergreen Perennials
  • 0 Evergreen Shrubs
  • 0 Herbaceous Perennials
    in this gallery.
• There are 86 rock garden plants (with photos) suitable for small garden areas; split into:-
  • 4 ALLIUM and ANEMONE Bulbs
  • 3 BULBS - Spring Catalogue. For planting in February/ May
  • 2 BULBS - Late Summer Catalogue. For planting in July/ September
  • 7 BULBS - Autumn Catalogue. For planting in September/ November
  • 2 Bulbs - Winter Catalogue. For planting in November/ March
  • 35 COLCHICUM AND CROCUS BULBS.
  • 0 DECIDUOUS SHRUBS
  • 32 EVERGREEN PERENNIALS
  • 1 EVERGREEN SHRUBS
  • 0 HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS
  • 0 ROSES
    in this Gallery.
    All the remaining rock garden plants detailed in the Rock Garden Plant Index pages in this gallery are waiting to receive photos, before they can be added to the 1 of the 52 Rockgarden Colour Wheel - Flowers Pages and then the above list.
• I am taking photos of rock garden plants suitable for small gardens and if they do not have their own Plant Description Page in this website, then each photo of each plant will be located at the bottom of the relevant 1 of 52 Rockgarden Flower Colour Wheel pages. Usually a link in *** to that page of 35 will be included in the Name field of the respective Index Page, for:-
  • 15 BULBS, CORMS and TUBERS
  • 4 EVERGREEN SUBSHRUBS
  • 7 EVERGREEN PERENNIALS
  • 2 EVERGREEN SHRUBS
  • 7 HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS

The Rock Garden Plants Database contains 17518 species with more than a thousand photos and is still growing. For each plant you will find known synonyms of its name, short description, territory and altitude of its natural location, size, color, bloom, if it is calciphile (Ca+) or calciphobe (Ca-), its type (rosette etc.), cultivation and propagation.

The Rock Plant Flowers has plants suitable for a small rock garden with the same colour from 1 of the 53 colours of flower petal on the same page. The same colours as in the Flower Colour Wheel are used here. Each of the hundreds of Text Descriptions in the Index Pages gives you the:-

• soil mixture it prefers,
• plant name,
• sun aspect position and protection,
• soil moisture,
• plant type,
• flower colour and months of flowering,
• height and width of the plant and
• propagation details.

Note that EVERY page in this website is a Table, which can be copied to a Word-processing package and its rows or columns re-ordered or sorted to your personal requirements on your computer

.

All the rock garden plants who have flowers in this website will have their

• Common Name,
• Botanical Name and
• Months of Flowering

in one of the following 52 Colour Wheel of Flower Petal Colour pages, where each of the 12 Colour Sections has been split into the 4 Colour Groups of:-

• Dark Tone (e.g. Red Violet 12 from Red Violet Tertiary Colour Section in Colour Wheel Diagram below),
• Mid-Tone.. (e.g. Red Violet 34),
• Pure Hue.. (e.g. Red Violet 56) and
• Pastel....... (e.g. Red Violet 789)

plus Black, Grey/Gray234, Grey/Gray 5 and Pure White 6.
The Botanical Name will link to its Plant Description Page and
each Flower Month will link to the respective Flower Colour Comparison Page in the relevant Gallery.

If the Flower Petal of the photo in the Cultivated Plant Description Page is Multi-Coloured, then it will be placed in the Multi-Coloured Row of a Colour Wheel - Flowers of Flower Petal Colour Page that appears to have the majority space of that colour on that petal.

If the wildflower plant does not have its Plant Description Page yet, then the Botanical Name and Flower Month will link to its Family Page.

Do not click on the thumbnail photos in this gallery as they do NOT LINK to the respective Plant Description Page.

Some planting schemes for trough gardens from The Alpine Garden.

List of plants for The Peat Garden from the Alpine Garden.

Crocus pulchellus 'Inspiration'

PlantPoints.com is a very useful website for finding plants and this is the email exchange that I had with them today:-

"Dear Sir,

Our site is a portal site with encyclopedic information about ornamental plants, is a nursery worldwide catalogue and finally include the availability of the plants that the nurseries have at any time.

Additionally we give the ability for our members to give and get offers in a list of plants.

Best Regards

Ioannis Patlis

-----Original Message-----

From: info@plantpoints.com [mailto:info@plantpoints.com]

Sent: Friday, March 06, 2015 8:47 AM

To: info@plantpoints.com

Subject: Φόρμα επικοινωνίας plantpoints EN

Importance: High

Όνομα: Chris Garnons-Williams

e-mail: chris@ivydenegardens.co.uk

Επάγγελμα: retired gardener

Χώρα: United Kingdom

πόλη: Rainham

Διεύθυνση: 1 Eastmoor Farm Cottages

Τ.Κ.: ME8 8QE

Τηλέφωνο: 01634780675

Κινητό: n/a

Μήνυμα:

I was looking for Acantholimon oliveri. As a hobby, I am continuing to create a small educational website www.ivydenegardens.co.uk, which attempts to show the public how to design, construct and maintain their own garden and choose plants using plant description pages and flower, foliage, form, fruit/seed and plants in flower beds comparison pages. It neither sells nor buys any product and I do not receive or give any commission for any product or service. Your website is very useful for the public throughout the world to find and then buy plants. Could you write a definition of your services with or without diagrams or photos, that I can include probably on the site map page of the Rock Garden Colour Wheel?

Click on Colour Wheel in Topic Menu on top left of Welcome Page to get to the Colour Wheel Galleries, then click on Rock Plant Flowers 53 in the same Topic Menu to get to the site map of that Gallery."

Some nurseries selling Alpines by mail-order in the UK and Japan:-

"Ardfearn Nursery was established in 1987 by Jim Sutherland and his son Alasdair. With a life-long interest in plants, Jim has travelled the world collecting seeds - we still grow many of the plants he has collected from his travels to China, Nepal, Chile, Siberia, Europe...

Situated on the southern shore of the Beauly Firth, the nursery is 3 miles from Inverness. Although we are famous for our alpines, we also grow a large number of plants and trees that are specifically grown for either their outstanding or unusual features, and their suitablity for our Highland conditions, and are particularly useful in many gardens.
 
We attend Scottish Rock Garden Club shows, and Inverness' Farmers' Markets (held on the first Saturday of the month). 2013 saw the start of Alasdair and partner Sarah travelling to the shows - Jim and his wife, Agnes, have been very familar faces at the shows for many years, and it certainly took some time to persuade them to hand over the reins! "

"Harperley Hall Farm Nurseries is a specialist alpine and woodland plant nursery located 8 miles outside the City of Durham, in the North East of England. 

We specialise in alpine plants, as well as plants suitable for woodland or shady areas; many of which are either rare or unusual. We grow a range of perennials and shrubs. We’re also suppliers of specimen plants including large sized bamboo, palms, conifers and shrubs. We work with landscapers and garden designers and particularly enjoy helping enthusiasts creating new gardens.

• Royal Horticultural Society recommended nursery

• Alpine Garden Society recommended nursery

We are regulary exhibitors at many of the major flower shows held throughout the year, including RHS Chelsea Flower Show and are again hoping to attend a number of shows in 2015.

We will be opening the Garden here at the nursery under the National Gardens Scheme on Sunday 3rd May 2015 10am to 4pm, the nursery will also be open on that day."

"Kevock Garden was first planted over 40 years ago. The major development was done by Sir John Randall, an enthusiastic horticulturalist. His early plantings of trees are now mature, giving structure and form, and many of the rhododendrons, magnolias and camellias are substantial, flowering profusely in early summer.

At 77 he was unable to cope with the steep slope, and in 1983 we moved in. We reclaimed treasures from the undergrowth, and then, with a particular interest in rare alpines, started to build rockeries, terracing parts of the slopes. Many of the first plants were grown from seeds from the Scottish Rock Garden Club and Alpine Garden Society but now we draw on many sources, testing introductions in the garden.

The garden is open every year as part of the Scotland's Gardens programme and, by appointment only, to groups.

We have very interesting weeds. Plants multiplied dramatically in the garden and we found seedlings of unusual plants in the paths and lawns. There were branches to be pruned and clumps to be split. We didn't have the heart to throw things away, so we started to pot up our oddments to sell to visitors to the garden - and that is how Kevock Garden Plants was born. And then it grew - and grew. You can see the present nursery site development, which started in 2002. Now there is a team of people working with us.

Kevock Garden Design was started to provide a comprehensive service to those who want to have interesting planting schemes, with colour in all seasons, in their own gardens."

"Slack Top Nursery is one of the UK's top five specialist growers of Alpines.

It is a small nursery, but with a very extensive range of interesting alpine plants, perfect for traditional or contemporary containers, terraces, window boxes and other garden settings. We also offer expert advice on plants for all garden situations – from damp shade to full sun and all things in between!

All plants are grown here on the nursery, and we carefully select the varieties that do best in our sometimes ‘testing’ climate. Whether it be foliage or flower, compact form or hardiness, you can be sure of something a bit different that will do really well for you.

Situated at 900ft in the Pennines, the tough climate means tough plants that readily establish when planted out. We also make all our own compost, resulting in far stronger plants.

The naturalistic garden, begun in 1980 and spanning approximately a quarter acre, has a beautiful setting overlooking moors and woodland. It is probably one of the best in the UK and features rock and scree beds, a 100ft planted wall, ponds, a large crevice bed plus many interesting containers and troughs. The season is late with us, so the garden is often at its best between May and August, however the sales displays are stocked from March, and the range is constantly changing. Most of the plants growing in the garden are also for sale in the nursery.

Accessibility – please note that the garden is on a slope with stone paths and steps, so unfortunately not all of it is easy to access in a wheelchair, but we will make every effort to assist."

"Timpany Garden is a garden of some 20 acres, much of which has been created in the last few years. The older part of the garden, extending to approximately 3 acres has been under continuous development since 1973 when three small fields were acquired and a shelter belt established. The natural divisions still remain and now comprise about an acre of lawn, herbaceous borders and beds, shrubs and rockery, about one and half acres planted as an arboretum, small areas of woodland, and a cottage garden containing many rare and unusual plants.

The new gardens have been under development since 1992; several acres have been planted with predominantly broad-leaved trees and a new arboretum is being established. There is a new herbaceous border and recent plantings of rhododendrons and other shrubs.

The garden is located in the Drumlin Country of Co. Down in an old flax-growing area. Two disused lint holes (in which the flax was retted) have been excavated and are now wild-life ponds, stocked with native fish. In the last few weeks of October 2006, we have had two more interesting visitors to the pond, a pair of otters.  Welcomed with mixed blessing, they do seem to enjoy themselves, splashing around and generally showing off, what with herons, who also come in pairs, how long will the fish stocks last!!

There are extensive walks, for energetic visitors, through both the old and new gardens, through the new woodland and around the ponds. There is also a picnic area adjacent to the car-park and a nursery in which plants can be purchased.

The gardens are well worth a visit in February and March to see the Snowdrops, Hellebores, Anemone nemerosa, Erythronium , Trilliums, hardy orchids it is also the time to see the rockgarden coming into bloom. Following the spring, we come into summer and the cottage garden begins to put on a show with its array of colourful herbaceous plants.  Many have been selected to attract butterflies and insects, and as a result, it is an haven for birds to visit , and after the long hot summer comes autumn, with all the wonderful leaf colours on some of our specimen trees, like Cercidiphyllum, Parrotia, Sorbus (colour & berries) Beech, Oak, Acer and many more delightful colourful shrubs and trees.

We can now offer tea and coffee to visitors to the garden and nursery.  There will also be Tours of the Garden for Groups coming to visit."

"YUZAWA ENGEI in Japan is a small family nursery which cultivates various plants making use of climate of LAT.43°N . In this web-site, we are offering the plants including Japanese rare ones to overseas. We are not wholesale nursery and there is no wholesale list.

YUZAWA ENGEI

〒061-2275
200-6 Toyama, Minami-Ku Sapporo-Shi, Hokkaido
TEL.+81-(0)11-596-1779
FAX.+81-(0)11-596-1775

Because we can't speak foreign languages, the phone will be talken only in Japanese.
To accept your order by E-mail is the best way.
But if you don't have E-mail address, we can accept your order via Fax.

Plant Sales:-
We had finished the plants sale for overseas this season.
Thank you for many orders.
We will upload the new plants list on our web-site in September.
Also, we will have ‘Summer Bulbs Sale’ from early summer.
In this sale, we will ship summer resting bulbs.
I hope you are interested in this.
New seeds list will be uploaded in the end of July.

Seed Sales:-
Seed sale has ended this season.
Thank you for many orders.
We will upload new seed list in July 2015.
Early summer seeds, like Ranzania japonica and Erythronium japonicum, will be added to the list." - information from their website collected on Monday 16 March 2015. Their website also has sections in Japanese for those of you who prefer to view a better looking alphabet than our Latin Alphabet (perhaps it is unfortunate that the kyo combination looks as if his wife is chasing her one-armed husband with a thresher).

Rock Plant Colour Wheel - Flowers Link Map

Click on Number in Colour Wheel or Black sections below:-

Some abbreviations have been used in compiling the list of Rock Plants for small gardens in order to make it possible to provide all the required information at a glance in a condensed form.

Name

First is the name of the genus to which the plant belongs which is given in capitals. Under the generic name the names of the species and varieties are recorded.

Link to photos, cultivation details or mail-order business that sells it.

Link in *** to Rock Garden Colour Wheel Page with photo of the plant at bottom of page. Then, More Photos Page links to further photos / description in its Rock Plant Photos Gallery Page.

Suitability

Details of which container to grow the plant in:-

• A. The plant can be grown in sinks, trough, pans or scree beds
• B. The plant is best accommodated in a trough or sink.
• C. Suitable for peat beds and raised beds (suitable for alpine rhododendrons)

Type

Abbreviated to:-

• B for Bulb
• H for Herb - any non-woody plant that is not a tree or shrub
• HP for Herbaceous Perennial
• S for Shrub
• SS for Sub-shrub

followed by

• E for Evergreen
• D for Deciduous

Height and Spread

The approximate height is given first in inches, followed by the approximate spread, when mature. 1 inch (") = 25.4 millimetres (mm)

Soil

The figures A, B, C and D denote that the plant in question requires one of the following soil mixtures:-

• A. Equal parts of loam, leafmould and sand. This is a suitable mixture for plants which require a light, open, porous soil with good drainage. A good mixture for troughs in a sheltered position in part shade. All bulbs and conifers do well in this medium.
• B. Equal parts of loam, leafmould, peat and sand. This is more retentive of water but is well-drained and will grow all the plants in this Rock Plant List which are suitable for full sun, and it is ideal for woodland plants in part shade.
• C. Four parts leafmould and one part each of loam and sand. A soil for growing dwarf rhododendrons and other ericaceous plants in the raised bed type of trough and peat beds.
• D. Three parts Cornish silver sand and one part flaked leafmould. For all difficult and rare high alpines, including most of the cushion type. The trough containing this mixture is best situated in part shade.

which may be followed by

• N for when a neutral pH medium is required.
• L for when a limey pH medum is required.

Where no additional letter is given, the plant will thrive under either condition.

Position and Protection

The following terms and abbreviations used singly or in combination will minimize the risk of planting in an unsuitable spot:-

• C --- This means that the plant will do well planted on its side in a crevice built up on the rocks for preference.
• P --- This plant requires a pane of glass suspended over it in winter, generally from October to the end of March.
• PS -- A part-shady spot or facing west with protection from the south by a shadow cast by either a rock or shrub.
• SA -- Shady position either facing north or protected by a rock.
• Sun - This means that the plant will require a normal amount of direct sunlight.
• W --- The plant will do well planted in a vertical position in the side of a trough or scree frame.

Flower Colour, Nearest Colour Wheel - Flowers Colour and Months of Flowering

These 3 columns are self-explanatory;
for example, Orange June, means that

• the flowers are orange (if the plant has a Plant Description Page in this website then the link from here will be to that Plant Description Page otherwise to a Plant Description found on the Internet),
• orange3 in the Colour Wheel - Flowers is the nearest colour for the majority of the flower petal (either from a flower image in this website or an image found on the Internet), with link to the Colour Wheel - Flowers Colour and
• the flowering month is June with link to the flower photo on the Internet.

A double entry such as
Orange August
Red October
means that the plant has orange flowers in August and red fruits or berries in October.

Propagation

A general idea to the best method of increasing the stock:-

• C ---- Half-ripened wood at the end of July.
• D ----- Division.
• GC ---- Green Cuttings in late spring.
• L ------ Layering.
• Leaf C - The plant is best propagated by leaf cuttings.
• RC ----- Fully ripened wood at the end of September.
• Root C - The plant is best propagated by cutting the thick root thongs at the end of September.
• S ------- The best method is by seed.

may be followed by

• H - Where this letter is placed after any of the above abbreviations, it means that bottom heat is essential to obtain a fair percentage of strikes.
  The omission of this letter does not mean that bottom heat cannot be employed; in fact, its use will certainly save an appreciable amount of time taken to increase the stock.

A combination of the above will denote that the plant can be increased by all the methods which those abbreviated letters stand for.

Propagation Seed Composts

"I am giving 3 types of composts which will be numbered 1, 2 and 3 so that they will not be confused with the potting mixtures. The number of the compost will be noted under the heading of propagation in the list of plants. These are not offered as the only types in which seedlings may be grown, but they have proved their worth over many years. As it will only be on rare occasions that a bushel of compost of any one of the seed mixtures will be required, I will give the size of the box which can be constructed easily to hold a quarter of a bushel, an amount more in keeping with the average amateur's need. The inside measurements of the box, which is best made of wood are 10 by 10 x 5.5 inches deep (25 by 25 x 13.25 cms). By doubling the depth a half bushel measure is available.

Compost 1
A mixture that has been found suitable for all the ordinary and easy types of alpine seed is the John Innes seed compost.
It can of course be mixed at home as required. Only the amount needed at the time should be made for its lasting qualities are strictly limited. All the following ingredients are mixed by bulk, not weight, and are best used dry after mixing, storing the compost for a day or 2 before use.

• Take 2 parts of medium-heavy sterilised loam from a reliable source, full of rotted grass roots. The soil should be rubbed down between the hands into a light granular texture. All fibrous material must be retained and if large; cut into small pieces with scissors and mixed into the loam. On no account should the loam be sieved. This will spoil the texture of the finished compost and cause it to pack readily, a state of affairs to be avoided, for it is essential that the soil be open and granular in texture.
• Add 1 part of sieved peat,
• 1 part of Cornish sand

and well mix the whole together dry. Afterwards to this is added

• 1.5 ounces of superphosphate of lime and
• 0.75 ounces of chalk

to each bushel of compost. If this mixture is to be used for plants which are lime haters, the chalk should be omitted.

Compost 2
The more difficult and rare plants need a light, open soil in which to germinate and the following has been tried and found suitable. Equal parts by bulk of medium heavy fibrous loam and leaf-mould. Both the loam and leaf-mould should be sterilised and then rubbed down to a fine granular texture. The particles are better if small, but should not be sieved. To this is added 2 parts of Cornish sand, after sieving through a 1/16 inch sieve (2 mm) as the larger particles are not needed.

Compost 3
Shade-loving dwarf rhododendrons and other ericaceous and woodland plants like a more spongy yet still open medium. This consists of equal parts leaf-mould, peat and Cornish sand. The leaf-mould must be sterilised and rubbed down fine, the peat and sand should be sieved though a 1/16 inch (2 mm) sieve, and the wole well mixed together.

Both composts 2 and 3 need a very fine sprinkling of superphosphate of lime, just under 0.5 ounce for a quarter of a bushel of mixture or to be more precise 3/8 of an ounce. The superphosphate is needed by the seedlings in their early growth. In fact it is essential as a plant food as soon as the seed starts to germinate, so it must be mixed with the composts, not applied afterwards. " from Collector's Alpines by Royton E. Heath published in 1964 by Collingridge Limited.

The Alpine Garden Society is producing an Online Encyclopaedia:-

If while you are on The Alpine Garden Society Plant Encyclopaedia Page that you click on the

• Genera Key and then
• the S letter, you will be able to click on
• Saxifraga and then its
• species oppisitifolia and the

information about that and its cultivars will appear on its own page. It would appear that many of the plants detailed in this Gallery and the Rock Plant Photos Gallery are further detailed in that Encyclopaedia.

"The printed AGS Encyclopaedia of Alpines was published in 1993 and was heralded as "the standard reference in its field for many, many years to come".

As part of the process of developing an online version of the Encyclopaedia, the original text has been scanned and converted into a website version that can now be continually updated and extended. AGS members can also make contributions (text or images) about their favourite genera and species and we hope that many of you will do this.

Work is progressing on improving the range of images used to illustrate the encyclopaedia and on rectifying omissions in the original volumes. This will be an ongoing project for the foreseeable future.

The Saxifraga section of the Plant Encyclopaedia is funded by the David Harding Foundation in memory of Winton Harding.

At the bottom of this page, you can find the Introduction to the Original Printed Encyclopaedia.

Online Encyclopaedia Project Development Stages

Stage 1: Scan text from existing paper encyclopaedia.

This was done some time ago and the end result was a structured pdf file containing all the original text and images. Scanning old text like this is fraught with problems and there were many issues to be sorted out before the scanned text could be used to create an online version of the encyclopaedia.

COMPLETED

Stage 2: Design online version of encyclopaedia.

This involved the design of a database to hold the data for the encyclopaedia and the screen layout and programs for presenting the information to the user.

COMPLETED

Stage 3: Clean up scanned text.

This was a very tedious job.  There were not only mis-scanned words ('Hardy'='Flardy'), but also places where the structure of the text was wrongly construed.  This would have resulted in many species being missed and spurious species being created during the import Stage.

COMPLETED

Stage 4: Import final cleaned up scanned text into online version.

It still needs careful proofreading as there are lots of one-off  mis-scans that couldn't be easily detected at Stage 3.

COMPLETED

Stage 5: Provide good editing and access permission facilities for online version

This is important as the proofreaders will be given editing permission for the genera they will cover and will want to make corrections as easily as possible.

IN PROGRESS

Stage 6: Proofreading of imported text and suggestions for omissions that need rectified..

This requires a large team of volunteers, each taking responsibility for one or more genera. Many people have already offered their services.

IN PROGRESS

Stage 7: Incorporate line drawings from original encyclopaedia

These were all drawn by Christine Grey-Wilson and were an invaluable aid to identification within a genus.  They were scanned at the same time as the original text but now need extracted from the scans and incorporated in the online version.

IN PR0GRESS (see Saxifraga hirculus for an example)

Stage 8: Incorporate images from original encyclopaedia.

Original images from the paper encyclopaedia also need extracted and incorporated in the online version.

PENDING

Stage 9: Incorporate images from AGS website.

This is working, but needs the images on the main AGS website to be better  indexed so that an appropriate image with appropriate permission can be identified easily for use by the encyclopaedia.  There are about 20,000 images on the main AGS website and another 4,000 or so in the Show results section which is separate - a tremendous resource.

IN PROGRESS

Stage 10: Incorporate supplementary material that was commissioned for a planned paper supplement.

This material was on obsolete discs and an attempt has been made to retrieve the files from these discs.  Some has been successfully retrieved and will be incorporated in the online encylopaedia.

PENDING

Stage 11:

Develop a mechanism for AGS members to contribute to the encyclopaedia.  This is being developed around the existing discussion facilities on the main AGS website. Members can submit their own growing tips and pictures to this more informal area of the encyclopaedia.  This mechanism has been implemented.  We need to add a facility for suggested new material to be approved and incorporated in the 'official' encyclopaedia.

IN PROGRESS

Original Encyclopaedia

Introduction by Chris Brickell

Many individual gardeners were keenly, some almost obsessively, interested in alpine plants and rock gardening prior to the formation of the Alpine Garden Society in 1929. The enthusiasm engendered by the establishment of an organised society devoted to alpines, however, acted as a catalyst for devotees of the mountains and alpine plants to pursue their passion in the company of like-minded people and to pass on their expertise and knowledge to other gardeners who, in return, became alpine addicts.

By the beginning of World War 2 membership of the AGS was 2,000 and after the war steady and sustained growth was achieved with the formation of local groups and a series of publications devoted to alpine plants being published by the Society. During the last ten years there has been a considerable upsurge in membership, now standing at 13,000 and a continuing demand for more and more detailed information on alpine plants. It is, therefore, both timely and very appropriate that our Society should have taken the decision to publish what is undoubtedly the most comprehensive, informative and accurate reference work on alpine plants that has ever been produced to date anywhere in the world: the Alpine Garden Society's Encyclopaedia of Alpines.

Many alpine gardeners use Reginald Farrer's classic The English Rock Garden (1919) plus Sampson Clay's supplement The Present Day Rock Garden (1937) as a basic reference work, but inevitably with new plants tumbling into cultivation from all over the world, they now fall far short of our requirements. Recent AGS monographs on various genera have satisfied partially the thirst for knowledge of alpine and rock garden plants but the need for information on a world-wide basis has been apparent for some years. It was first discussed by the AGS Committee in the early 1980s and in 1985 it was decided to launch the Encyclopaedia Project. Kenneth Beckett was appointed Editor in 1986 and began the daunting task of planning the work and persuading knowledgeable AGS members to contribute accounts of genera of which they had particular expertise. The inclusion in the Encyclopaedia of just under one thousand genera of alpines known to be in cultivation, or to have been in cultivation, from the world's mountain flora is a remarkable achievement. Ken Beckett is to be congratulated and warmly thanked by all interested in alpine and rock garden plants for his extraordinary diligence, persistence and scholarship in preparing this outstanding reference work for publication.

It should also be recorded that Ken Beckett further undertook to write more than half the accounts himself; a major achievement by any standards by an Editor of such a detailed and comprehensive work.

The very important contributions made by AGS members, the design of the publication by John Fitzmaurice and overall production by Christopher Grey-Wilson, the Society's Editor, have all added greatly to the authority of the most ambitious publishing project yet undertaken by The Alpine Garden Society.

Its coverage in two volumes is unequalled and there is no doubt in my mind that it will remain the standard reference in its field for many, many years to come." from information copied on 16 March 2015.

Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society is a club of plant lovers living near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, who visit, study, photograph, draw and grow alpine plants, bog dwellers and woodlanders, whether native or exotic. We encourage the propagation and distribution of plants.

List of Desirable Plants (from Vancouver Island Rock
and Alpine Garden Society)

Asterisks following entries in the list denote plants known to the author from local gardens. Double asterisks indicate species which have done particularly well in the author's rock garden which is located mostly on south-facing slopes. No, or only short-term experience is available for the unmarked species, but they are expected to perform well and should be tried wherever obtainable.

• Acantholimon, various spp. - still being tested; more information wanted*

• Achillea ageratifolia [= Anthemis aizoon] (Greece)**

• Achillea chrysocoma (Balkans, Asia Minor)**

• Achillea umbellata (Greece)

• Aethionema, all spp. (SE Europe, Asia Minor)**

• Allium flavum, A. moly, A. neapolitanum (S Europe)*

• Allium insubricum (Lago di Garda, L.d.Como, Italy)

• Allium moschatum (Mediterr.) white

• Allium narcissiflorum (SE Europe)

• Allium ostrovskianum (Central Asia)*

• Allium triquetrum (E Mediterranean), and many others

• Alyssum argenteum (SE Europe)

• Alyssum armenum (Turkey)

• Alyssum atlanticum (W Mediterranean, Morocco)

• Alyssum cuneifolium (Mediterr.) - very low cushions

• Alyssum doerfleri (Balkans)

• Alyssum lycaonicum (Turkey)

• Alyssum montanum (Mediterranean, Eurasia)*

• Alyssum olympicum (Greece)

• Alyssum saxatile (Europe and Balkans)*

• Alyssum serpyllifolium (W Mediterranean)

• Anacyclus depressus (N Africa)*

• Anagallis linifolia (S Europe to N Africa)**

• Androsace armeniaca var macrantha (Turkey) - monocarpic*

• Androsace villosa (Asia Minor) sun-loving, lime

• Andryala aghardii (S.Spain) silvery-leaved subshrub*

• Anemone appennina (S Europe)

• Anemone blanda, A. coronaria, A. fulgens, A. hortensis,
A. pavonina (all in Greece, Asia M)*

• Anthemis biebersteiniana (Asia Minor)

• Anthemis cretica and subspecies (Asia M.)*

• Aphyllanthes monspeliensis (S France)*

• Aquilegia discolor (Spain)**

• Arabis caucasica (SE Europe to Iran)*

• Arabis procurrens (SE Europe)*

• Arenaria balearica (Sardinia, Corsica, Balearic Islands)*

• Arenaria montana and form 'Grandiflora` (S Alps, Pyrenees)*

• Arenaria purpurascens (Spain)*

• Arenaria tetraquetra (Italy, Spain) sun-loving

• Armeria caespitosa (Pyrenees)**

• Asarina procumbens (Spain)*

• Asperula boissierii (Greece) - v. short, cushion-forming, pink-fl.

• Asperula gussonii (Sicilian mtns.) less compact than boissierii

• Asperula lilaciflora (Mediterranean)

• Asperula nitida (Greece, Turkey)*

• Asperula sintenisii (Turkey) glaucous

• Asperula suberosa (Greece, Bulgaria) white hairy - no winter wetness

• Asphodeline lutea, A. liburnica (Mediterr.)*

• Asphodeline taurica (Taurus M.) - inflorescence w. silvery bracts

• Asteriscus maritimus (Mediterr.) - subshrubby, tender*

• Astragalus angustifolius (Balkans, Asia Minor)

• Astragalus sempervirens (Pyrenees, S Alps, Balkans)

• Aubrieta, all spp. and cultivars (E Mediterranean)**

• Buxus sempervirens (Mediterranean, S Europe, W Asia),
only the dwarf form 'Suffruticosa`

• Campanula andrewsii (Peloponnese)

• Campanula arvatica (N. Spain) - only 5 cm

• Campanula elatines (NW Italy) hot cliffs

• Campanula fragilis (S. Italy) - like turbinata; coastal limestone rocks

• Campanula garganica (SE Italy, Greece)*

• Campanula isophylla (N. Italy)*

• Campanula oreades (E Greece) among rocks, crevices*

• Campanula portenschlagiana (Dalmatia).**

• Campanula poscharskyana (W Yugoslavia) stony places*

• Campanula rupicola (Greece, Mt.Parnassus) limestone cliffs

• Campanula saxatilis (Aegean Islands) limestone crevices*

• Catananche caespitosa (Atlas)

• Cerastium tomentosum (Italy) - may be invasive*

• Chionodoxa gigantea, C. luciliae (Asia Minor)*

• Chrysanthemum hosmariense (Atlas Mts.)**

• Chrysanthemum pallidum ssp. spathulifolium (SE Spain)

• Chrysanthemum radicans (SE Spain) soft yellow

• Chrysanthemum tomentosum (Corsica)

• Cistus: With age, some of the species are too expansive
for small rock gardens

• Cistus albanicus (Albania) white, low

• Cistus clusii (S Spain, S Italy) white, low

• Cistus ladaniferus [frost hardiness marginal] (W Mediterr.)*

• Cistus salviaefolius (Mediterranean)*

• Colchicum, all spp., except C. autumnale (Europe, Mediterranean,
to Central Asia)*

• Convolvulus boissieri (Spain to Greece) - lime

• Convolvulus cneorum (W Mediterr.) - small shrub**

• Convolvulus compactus (Turkey)

• Crepis incana (Greece)

• Crocus, the vast majority of all spp., except C. vernus and
some of its hybrids. (S Europe,

• Mediterranean, to C Asia)*

• Cyclamen, all hardy spp., except Cyclamen purpurascens
(Mediterranean to W Asia)*

• Cytisus ardoinii (SW Alps)

• Cytisus decumbens (S Europe)*

• Cytisus demissus (Greece)*

• Cytisus pulchellus (Albania)

• Daphne blagayana (SE Europe) creamy white, limestone

• Daphne collina (S Italy)

• Daphne jasminea (Greece, N Africa) evergreen,
wh.-fld., purplish buds, borderline

• Daphne oleoides (S Europe and Asia Minor)

• Daphne sericea (Crete) - similar to collina**

• Dianthus, the following and others, except
those from high elevations in Alps.

• Dianthus brevicaulis (Turkey) - lime*

• Dianthus deltoides (Europe, Asia)**

• Dianthus erinaceus (Asia Minor)

• Dianthus gratianopolitanus (Europe)**

• Dianthus haematocalyx and
ssp. pindicola (Yugoslavia to Greece)**

• Dianthus microlepis (Bulgaria) no lime

• Dianthus monspessulanus (S Europe)*

• Dianthus spiculifolius (Balkans, Carpathians)**

• Dictamnus albus (N Mediterr.) limestone

• Doronicum columnae (Alps to Asia Minor)*

• Draba acaulis (Turkey, Ala Dag)

• Draba bruniifolia (Asia Minor)**

• Draba dedeana (Spain) white-fl.*

• Draba elegans (Cilician Taurus)

• Draba hispanica (E and S Spain)

• Draba rigida (Armenia)*

• Draba rosularis (Turkey)*

• Echinospartium horridum (Spain, Portugal)

• Edraianthus dalmaticus (Dalmatia)*

• Edrainathus graminifolius (Italy and Greece)**

• Edraianthus dinaricus, E. pumilio**, E. serpyllifolius (Dalmatia)

• Epimedium perralderianum (Algeria) yellow*

• Eranthis cilicica (Asia Minor)*

• Eranthis hiemalis (S Europe)*

• Erinacea anthyllis (Spain and N Africa)*

• Erodium absinthoides (Asia Minor)

• Erodium cazorlanum (Spain)

• Erodium chamaedrioides (Majorca)

• Erodium corsicum (Corsica)*

• Erodium supracanum (Pyrenees) grey finely divided foliage

• Erysimum sp., known mistakenly
as E."kotschyanum" in local gardens - low**

• Erysimum wilczeckianum (N Africa) - low, large pale yellow flowers*

• Euphorbia capitulata (Greece) - lime*

• Euphorbia myrsinites (Mediterranean)**

• Fritillaria, virtually all old-world spp., except F. meleagris*

• Galanthus, all spp., except G. nivalis
(SE Europe to W Asia); G. elwesii most suitable.*

• Genista dalmatica (Balkans) low

• Genista lydia (Balkans, Asia Minor)*

• Genista hispanica (SW Europe) spiny, lower than radiata

• Gentiana: Most spp. demand summer moisture

• Gentiana dinarica, some acaulis-group hybrids
after the roots have reached depth*

• Gentiana olivieri (Turkey to Central Asia) summer-dormant

• Gentiana septemfida (Asia Minor) when well established*

• Geranium cazorlense (Spain) very low

• Geranium cinereum and forms (Spain to Caucasus)*

• Geranium dalmaticum (Dalmatia)**

• Geranium incanum (S Africa)

• Globularia cordifolia (Europe and N Mediterranean)**

• Globularia nudicaulis (Alps to Yugoslavia)*

• Gypsophila repens (Alps and N Mediterranean Mts.)*

• Gypsophila petraea (Carpathians)*

• Haberlea rhodopensis (Balkans) - some shade**

• Halimiocistus ingwersonii - generic hybrid - (Portugal)*

• Halimium lasianthum (Portugal, Spain)*

• Helianthemum appenninum (N Mediterranean to Asia Minor)*

• Helianthemum lunulatum (S Europe)*

• Helianthemum nummularium and
ssp. grandiflorum (Europe, Asia M.)

• Helichrysum frigidum (Corsica)

• Hypericum athoum (Greece)*

• Hypericum balearicum (Balearic Islands) - 50 cm shrub**

• Hypericum empetrifolium (Greece)**

• Hypericum olympicum, H. polyphyllum (Asia Minor)**

• Hypericum repens (Asia Minor)

• Iberis gibraltarica (Spain)

• Iberis saxatilis (S Europe)**

• Iberis sempervirens (S Europe to Asia Minor)**

• Iberis tauricum (Turkey)*

• Iris attica (Yugoslavia to Turkey)

• Iris lutescens [=chamaeiris] (W Spain and Portugal)**

• Iris melitta [=suaveolens] (Bulgaria to Turkey)**

• Iris pumila (Austria and E)**

• Iris reichenbachii (Balkans)

• Iris reticulata -section, most spp.*

• Leucojum autumnale (Portugal, N Africa)

• Leucojum roseum (Corsica, Sardinia)

• Leucojum trichophyllum (Spain, Portugal, N Africa)

• Lilium candidum (S Mediterranean) lime

• Lilium chalcedonicum ? (Greece)

• Lilium croceum (S Alps)

• Lilium pomponium (N Mediterranean)

• Linaria pallida (Italy)

• Linum campanulatum (Spain, Italy) yellow

• Linum capitatum (E Mediterr., S Europe) y.,
woody base, better than compactum*

• Linum "Gemmel's Hybrid", mound-forming

• Linum leucanthum (Greece) white; very short cushion

• Linum punctatum (C and E Mediterr) mat-forming, blue

• Linum suffruticosum (W Meditterr.) pale pink;
'Salsoloides` and 'Prostratum`

• Linum tauricum (Greece +?) yellow, v.delicate,
narrow lvs and branches, short

• Lithodora diffusa (S Europe)*

• Matricaria oreades (Asia Minor)

• Moltkia petraea (Greece)

• Moltkia suffruticosa (N Italy)

• Morina persica (Greece to Iran)

• Morisia monantha (Corsica, Sardinia)*

• Muscari, all spp. (S Europe, Mediterranean, Asia Minor)*

• Narcissus, all dwarf spp. (Portugal to N Africa)
and most others, except some derived from N.

• pseudonarcissus, N. cyclamineus, and N. jonquilla*

• Onosma albo-roseum (Turkey, Iraq, Syria)*

• Onosma frutescens (Greece)

• Onosma nanum (Turkey)

• Onosma polyphyllum (Crimea)

• Onosma stellulatum (W Yugoslavia)

• Onosma tauricum (SE Europe to Turkey)*

• Origanum amanum (Anatolia)

• Origanum dictamnus (E Mediterr.)

• Origanum scabrum v. pulchrum (S Greece)

• Ornithogalum nutans (SE Europe)**

• Ornithogalum sibthorpii (Balkan to Crete)

• Paeonia cambessedessii (Balearic Islands, Corsica)*

• Paeonia clusii (Crete) white, smallest

• Paeonia tenuifolia (SE Europe, Asia Minor)

• Paraquilegia grandiflora (from Afghanistan E)

• Pelargonium endlicherianum (Turkey)*

• Polygala chamaebuxus (Alps)*

• Polygala microphylla (W Spain, Portugal)

• Polygala nicaensis (S Europe to Russia)

• Polygala stocksiana (Turkey to Transcaucasia)

• Primula fedtschenkoi (C Asia) summer-dormant

• Primula juliae (SE Caucasus)*

• Primula kaufmanniana (C Asia) summer-dormant

• Primula palinurii (S Italy) summer-dormant

• Primula vulgaris (W and S Europe, to Asia Minor, Armenia)**

• Primula vulgaris var. rubra [= P. abchasica] (E Mediterranean)

• Primula vulgaris ssp. sibthorpii (Balkans)*

• Prunus prostrata (Mediterranean)

• Pterocephalus parnassii (Greece)**

• Pterocephalus pinardii (Turkey)*

• Pterocephalus spathulatus (SE Spain)

• Ptilotrichum purpureum(SE Spain)

• Ptilotrichum spinosum (N Spain)**

• Puschkinia hyacinthoides, P. libanotica (Asia Minor)*

• Ramonda myconii (Pyrenees) [Note: Ramondas need shade]*

• Ramonda nathaliae (Macedonia, Albania)

• Ranunculus abnormis (Spain, Portugal) yellow

• Ranunculus calandrinioides (N Africa)**

• Ranunculus gramineus (Mediterranean)**

• Ranunculus kochii (from Turkey S and E) ficaria-type

• Ranunculus millefoliatus (Mediterr)

• Ranunculus millefolius (from Turkey S)

• Ranunculus parnassifolius (Pyrenees)

• Ranunculus rupestris (W Mediterr)

• Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus` (Mediterranean)*

• Rosularia aizoon, R. pallida , others (Asia Minor)*

• Salvia albimaculata (Turkey)

• Salvia blepharochlaena (Turkey)

• Salvia caespitosa (Turkey)*

• Salvia eriophora (Turkey)

• Santolina chamaecyparissus 'Corsica`,
also known as S. incana nana (Mediterranean)*

• Saponaria caespitosa (Spain)*

• Saponaria ocymoides (SW Europe)**

• Saponaria x olivana [infertile cross S. caespitosa x S. pumilio]**

• Saponaria pulvinaris (Asia Minor)

• Saponaria pumilio (SE Europe to Lebanon)

• Satureja croatica (Balkans)

• Satureja montana (Mediterranean to S Russia)*

• Saxifraga canaliculata (Spain)*

• Saxifraga lingulata [=callosa] var. australis (Italy)*

• Saxifraga lingulata var. catalaunica (Spain)

• Saxifraga longifolia (E Spain)

• Saxifraga trifurcata (N Spain)

• Scabiosa graminifolia (Pyrenees to Dalmatia)*

• Scilla hispanica (Spain, Portugal)*

• Scilla sibirica (Balkans, Asia M., to S Russia)*

• Scutellaria orientalis (Balkans,
Asia Minor) [needs scree conditions]*

• Sedum acre (N Africa to N Asia)*

• Sedum album (N Africa to N Asia)**

• Sedum atlanticum (Atlas)

• Sedum brevifolium (Spain)

• Sedum caeruleum (Corsica to N Africa)

• Sedum dasyphyllum (Europe, N Africa)*

• Sedum gypsicolum (Spain to Atlas)

• Sedum idaeum (Crete)

• Sedum jaccardianum (Atlas)

• Sedum laconicum (Greece)

• Sedum lagascae (Iberia)

• Sedum magellense (Mediterr)

• Sedum sediforme (S Europe, N Africa, Asia Minor)

• Sedum sempervivoides (Turkey)

• Sedum tenuifolium (Mediterr)

• Sedum tristriatum (Greece)

• Sedum urvillei (Balkans)

• Sempervivum, all spp. (Mediterranean,
S Europe, Asia Minor)*

• Silene boryi (S Spain)

• Silene caryophylloides (Turkey)

• Silene parnassica (E Mediterr.)

• Silene pindicola (N Greece)

• Silene schafta (E Caucasus, N Iran)**

• Silene vallesiaca (S France to Greece)

• Stachys amanica (Turkey)

• Stachys candida (Greece)

• Stachys chrysantha (Greece)

• Stachys citrina (Turkey)

• Stachys lavandulifolia (Turkey, Iran, Iraq)

• Stachys spruneri (SE Greece)

• Sternbergia clusiana, S. lutea (Mediterranean)*

• Tanacetum pallidum (Spain)

• Tanacetum pulverulentum (N Spain, Portugal)

• Teucrium aroanicum (Greece)

• Teucrium pyrenaicum (Pyrenees, W France)*

• Teucrium polium aureum (Turkey)**

• Thalictrum orientale (Greece, Asia Minor)

• Thalictrum tuberosum (Spain) as above

• Thlaspi nevadense (Spain)

• Thlaspi sintenisii (Turkey)

• Thlaspi stylosum (Appenines)

• Thymus caespititius (Portugal)

• Thymus capitatus (Portugal) small shrub

• Thymus cilicicus (Asia Minor)

• Thymus longiflorus (Spain)

• Tulipa (Mediterranean to Central Asia): Almost
all species tulips are ideal for our conditions.

• Recommended are: T. bakeri**, T. batalinii**,
T. chrysantha, T. clusiana, T. humilis**, T.

• linifolia**, T. pulchella, T. saxatilis**,
T. sprengeri, T. tarda**, T. urumiensis.**

• Verbascum acaule (S Greece)

• Verbascum arcturus (Crete)

• Verbascum dumulosum (Asia Minor) and hybrid 'Letitia`**

• Verbascum pestalozzae (Turkey)

• Veronica armena, V. cinerea (Asia Minor)

• Veronica bombycina (Turkey)

• Veronica caespitosa (Lebanon, Turkey)

• Veronica pontica (Balkans)

• Veronica prostrata (Europe, Asia Minor, Siberia)*

• Veronica saturejoides (Dalmatia)*

• Veronica whittallii (Asia Minor)**

• Viola bertolonii and ssp. corsica (Italy, Balkans)*

• Viola cazorlensis (S Spain) shrubby, beautiful

• Viola crassiuscula (S Spain)

• Viola doerfleri (Yugoslavia)

• Viola eugeniae (Italy)

• Viola eximia (Balkans)

• Viola graeca (Greece, Italy)

• Viola gracilis (Balkans, Asia Minor)*