Ed Glover,(center) a volunteer caretaker of the University of Wisconsin Allen Centennial Garden points out how  photogenic Joseph Tychonievich is (but we already knew that!). Joseph is author of the hit book –  ‘Rock Gardening – Reimagining a Classic Style’ (2017 Timber Press). Jospeh delighted members of the North American Rock Gardening Society (NARGS) at the 2017 NARGS Spring Fling Study Weekend,  hosted by the Wisconsin-Illinois chapter of NARGS held in Madison Wisconsin.

NARGS members load up on rare and unusual plants at Klehm’s Song Sparrow Farm and Nursery, just one of the nurseries we stopped at in the Madison, WI area.

As these signs at The Flower Factory indicate, NARGS is perhaps the geekiest of the plant societies, as it attracts some of the most accomplished gardeners – those into all sorts of plants – NEWS FLASH – NARGS, may attract rock gardeners, but the organization attracts those into all sorts of plants including woodland plants, ephemerals, bulbs, rare perennials, shrubs, trees, ferns, cacti and succulents and much more.

The Madison NARGS chapter surprised us all with a cake to celebrate Joseph’s birthday, which was a day earlier. Now that I think about it, Joseph may be the organization’s youngest editor.

The Flower Factory had some fun and clever pieces of art – these life-sized horses covered in succulents were very popular.

Klehm’s Song Sparrow Nursery was crowded, even with the rain when we arrived. Located in idyllic farm country somewhere outside of Madison where the land is flat, the soil rich and dark and where ever barn looked like a Fisher Price farm set. Their hoop houses each contained treasures – one filled just with lilacs, another, just tree peonies, another one just filled with magnolias – I could have spent days shopping if I had brought a truck.

Mariel Tribby from the Gateway chapter of NARGS (St. Louis, MO) enjoys out first stop of the day at Klehm’s Song Sparrow Farm and Nursery, (a long time favorite nursery of mine, as you may know.), so it was difficult for me not to buy any plants. I flew here to Madison and just didn’t have room to sneak back a single plant. Really.

Although, if I was to sneak something back, it might be this Polygonatum ‘Fireworks’

…or this for certain, Polygonatum ‘Double Stuff’. I am ordering this right now, before you all do. It was so striking in real life.

Hosta are tempting me…..I think in photos they look ordinary, but believe me, in person, they make deciding on which one to take home very difficult.

Then of course, Klehm’s Song Sparrow Nursery is all about peonies – which after 4 generations of breeding them, they are one of the worlds premier sources. Just check out the foliage on these.

Most of the plants at Klehm’s Song Sparrow Farm and Nursery were kept in hoop houses, of which we were very thankful of – as it was raining – no, pouring, and very, very cold.

I enjoyed seeing the behind-the-scenes at Klehm’s Song Sparrow Farm and Nursery, this machine mixes compost and potting soils to create their own blends.

These bulb crates were used for sorting our peony roots.

Look who I found in one of the barns – Panayoti Kelaidis from Denver Botanic Gardens! (Well, OK, he is the a board member of NARGS so he was already here, but sometimes I think that there are clones of Panayoti’s around – I mean,  he was just in the Czech Republic earlier in the week speaking at a rock gardening conference!

The peony greenhouses were popular with the groups visiting. I even bumped into a blog fanboy from Seattle!

It’s probably a good thing that I don’t live closer to Klehm’s Song Sparrow Nursery, but, they do have a great mail order site!

I didn’t get the name of this tree peony, but I suppose that it really doesn’t matter – who could say no to this?

NARGS members and a few other plant societies who were visiting on this ‘open day’, as Klehm’s is not open to the public formed long, long lines at the check-out table. Even Roy Klehm himself helped check people out.

While waiting for members to check out their plants, I snooped around the offices. Look at what I found – a photo of the real Carol Mackie, founder of the famous Daphne ‘Carol Mackie’ which was growing as a sport in her garden.

Garden tours filled in the rest of the day, and although gloomy and wet, attendees were delighted with both the tours and the plants. This Regeliocyclus Iris Dardanus was a hit at one private garden  – surely, this is what one wants blooming on that day – rain or shine, when you have a garden tour coming over.

Woodland plant combined with perennials and massive boulders all looked very natural, as if they had been growing there for eons, but the garden was only 3 years old.

Imagine setting in boulders like this? Hundreds of tons of stone were brought into this small 1/4 acre plot in a typical neighborhood, but with rainwater catch basins and native plants combined with  woodland plants from all over the world, one can feel as if one escaped the city very easily. I was so impressed.

Another private garden also featured no lawn, but every inch was planted with perennials and interesting woodland plants. This tree peony was a show stopper. and it grew right next to the driveway!

The next stop brought out two busses to the campus of the University of Wisconsin – Madison (Go Badgers!), where we were thrilled with one of the finest alpine gardens I have ever seen at the Allen Centennial Garden, a teaching garden that surrounds a historic Victorian home that once served as a residence for university deans.  Ed Glover  is the man responsible for the rock garden’s success, (believe me, EVERYONE has told me that Ed is the rock star here, for few wanted to take credit!) but I know there were many volunteers and staff who contribute time and scuffed knees as well.

The University garden is maintained by volunteers from the Madison chapter of NARGS who call themselves the Rock Heads (or Rockets, or Rockets – I really couldn’t understand the man on the microphone, but all are appropriate names!). Tons of Tufa rock and impeccable specimens were everywhere – I only had my iPhone, and I ran out of memory.

True alpine plants are often buns or densely growing mounds which from to be able to survive the high levels of ultraviolet light found at high altitude, and of course, the glacial conditions. This specimen of an Arenaria sp. shows how spectacular an alpine plant can look Not easy to grow well, this one made everyone kneel down, even in the pouring rain!

We were fortunate to hit this garden at peak bloom, just as the saxifrages, dianthus and Daphnes were putting on their best show. These alpine gardens look difficult, but in fact, they are easier to maintain and water-wise. Forming berms with a trim blend soil mix of 1/3 loam or compost, 1/3 gravel and 1/3 sand, many alpines can grow. Fast draining, which is what they like, you’d be surprised as how easy many of these high elevation plants, which all tend to be small, will grow. Mulch with rocks and gravel, and you can kiss that lawn mower goodby!

Daphne shrubs like this D. alpina do best in rock gardens, but they are rarely seen in nurseries since they dislike being in pots, and are challenging to propagate. Look for small 2″ rooted cuttings at specialty plant sales (like NARGS sales at your local chapter) for this is often the only way you can get these plants. Easy if planted once, while tiny and never, ever moved. I have some that have been in bloom every day of the year.

Ignore this cheerful photo of Joseph Tychonievich, and look at that Daphne shrub just to his left, and the one under the red umbrella on the right near the rocks. Most rock garden Daphne form mounded, evergreen rock-shaped forms which bloom in a big way in spring with pink and purple fragrant flowers, and then often re bloom through the summer, here and there.

Our last stop was at the University of Wisconin-Madison Arboretum where I ran out of memory on my phone, but I was able to get one good shot of an azalea collection.

The post Hearty Rock Gardeners Journey to a Wet and Wild Madison Wisconsin for a Fling appeared first on Growing With Plants.

PULSATILLA BLOSSOMS TRY TO STEAL THE SHOW IN THE AMAZING  ROCK GARDEN OF JACQUES AND ANDREA URDA THOMPSON IN YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN – PART OF THE NORTH AMERICAN ROCK GARDEN SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING GARDEN TOUR

I am still recovering from last weeks jam-packed trip out to Michigan where the North American Rock Garden Society held its annual meeting, hosted by the Great Lakes chapter. I’ve been to about 7 of these annual meetings and study weekends, and I can confidently say that this one succeeded spectacularly.  As the current president of NARGS, I could easily be a little opinionated, but it would be no exaggeration to say that this particular event was flawless – perfect spring weather which encouraged some of the finest alpines and woodland plants into peak bloom just in time for a couple of hundred plant geeks, and I really don’t need to say that after the winter we all survived, was nothing more than a miracle in itself!

THE ROCK WORK IN JACQUES GARDEN WAS INSPIRATIONAL – SO NATURAL AND COMPLEMENTARY TO THE INTERESTING PLANT MATERIAL. A MOUNTAIN MEADOW AT LAKE-LEVEL!

Being my first trip to Michigan, I was looking forward to driving out from New England, even though the drive would take two days and take me through much of Ontario, Canada. I felt that I needed the time to get my thoughts together for the board meeting which preceded the event, and to relax a bit ( yes, sometimes, driving can relax me, although it took the rental of a big, new Dodge Ram pick-up and a few hundred miles of white Trillium grandiflorum, the grandeur of Niagra Falls and the magnificent spring woodlands and fruit orchards of the Great Lakes region. I should mention that this event coincided with the spring migration of warblers and songbirds – the East Coast deciduous forest was alive and singing in so many ways – why would I ever want to fly in a cramped plane?

TUFA ROCK IS A LIMESTONE ROCK CHERISHED BY ROCK AND ALPINE GARDENERS, AND THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY HAS SOME OF THE FINEST PIECES AVAILABLE. WE ALL ADMIRED THIS ONE – SINCE A PIECE THE SIZE OF A LOAF OF BREAD SELLS FOR ABOUT $25. THIS BEAST WAS AWESOME!

MY GUESS IS THAT THIS CLUMP WAS OF POLYGONATUM KINGIANUM, A RARE CHINESE POLYGONATUM WHICH HAS ORANGE BLOSSOMS AND TALL, 6 FOOT STEMS OR MORE. THE YELLOW FLOWER IS THE SINGLE FORM OF ANEMONE RANUNCULOIDES.

ANEMONE RANUNCULOIDES AS A DOUBLE FORM – IF ONLY MINE GREW AS NICELY AS THIS! A SPREADING WOODLANDER, THIS DOUBLE FORM MADE IT ONTO MY EVER-GROWING WISH LIST.

WE SWOONED OVER THIS MASSIVE COLONY OF ANEMONE  X. LIPSIENSIS ‘PALIDA’ , A CROSS BETWEEN A. RANUNCULOIDES AND A. NEMEROSA WHICH NOW OFFICIALLY TOPS MY MUST-GET LIST OF EARLY SPRING BULBS!

I HATE TO ADMIT THAT MY TRILLIUM ID IS WEAK – BUT THIS BEAUTY(MAYBE TRILLIUM CHLOROPETALUM – BUT PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CORRECT ME) INSPIRED ME TO BUY MANY SPECIES WHILE VISITING LOCAL NURSERIES IN THE AREA. ONE CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY TRILLIUM.

JANET LEARNS HOW TO SPLIT ROCK AND MAKE A STONE TROUGH AT A WORKSHOP THAT JACQUES HELD FOR NARGS MEMBERS.

JACQUES BEDS FROM A DISTANCE COMBINE TREES, DWARF SHRUBS, WOODLANDERS, PERENNIALS AND ALPINES ALONG WITH GRAVEL MULCH – THIS IS ONE LOOK I AM GOING TO COPY.

I NEVER CAPTURED THE NAME OF THIS BEARDED IRIS, BUT WHO CARES, IT’S JUST AS NICE WITHOUT  LABEL.

I NEVER IDENTIFIED THIS ARIL IRIS IN THE GARDEN OF DON AND MARY LAFOND, BUT MY GUESS IS THAT IT MIGHT BE IRIS ARILBRED ‘OYEZ’. WHO CARES, IT’S GORGEOUS.

IRIS ARE NOTORIUS FOR BEING SHY WHEN A GARDEN TOUR IS SCHEDULED A YEAR IN ADVANCE, BUT THIS PAST WEEKEND PROVED THAT TIMING SOMETIMES ACTUALLY PLAYS OUT. THE MANY IRIS WE SAW WERE IN PEAK BLOOM.

THIS TINY IRIS WAS INDEED, TINY.  NAME ANYONE??? I KNOW I PUT IT IN MY IPHONE, BUT NOW I CANNOT FIND IT.

ALLIUM VICTORIALIS VAR. PLATYPHYLLUM, THE VICTORY ONION MADE IT INTO MANY OF OUR NOTEBOOKS AS ONE PLANT TO TRACK DOWN FOR OUR OWN GARDENS. IT WAS GROWING IN THE GARDEN OF BEV AND BOB WALTERS.

THE WALTERS’GARDEN FEATURED BOTH WATER AND THIS INCREDIBLE CREVICE GARDEN.

THE CURRENT TREND OF CREVICE GARDENING WENT TO AN ENTIRELY NEW LEVEL WIT THIS ONE IN THE GARDEN OF TONY AND SUSAN REZNICEK. NOT THAT ANY OF US EXPECTED ANYTHING LESS FROM TONY REZNICEK ( HE IS ALSO THE CURATOR AND ASST. DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HERBARIUM.

GUEST SPEAKER, NURSERYMAN GER VAN DEN BEUKEN FROM THE NETHERLANDS, TAKES A PORTRAIT OF A SPECIES TULIP IN TONY REZNECEK’S GARDEN.

SUPERB TRILLIUMS WERE EVERYWHERE, IN ALL FO THE GARDENS.

TRILLIUM SPECIES WERE IN FULL FORCE – FAR TOO MANY TO NAME

I NEED TO TRACK DOWN THIS TRILLIUM SPECIES, UNDERSTATED YET A NICE CLUMPER.

FRITILLARIA PALLIDIFLORA – IN DON LAFOND’S GARDEN – NOW YOU KNOW WHY FOLKS ORDER THIS ONE EARLY, AS IT ALWAYS SELLS OUT IN THE SPRING DUTCH BULB CATALOGS.

THIS METAL TROUGH IN DON LAFOND’S GARDEN DEMONSTRATES HOW GREAT DESIGN AND CREATIVITY CAN BE USED TO CREATE AUTHENTIC LOOKING TROUGHS EVEN WITHOUT HYPERTUFA. DON’S ENTIRE GARDEN REMINDED ME OF DISNEY IMAGINEERING PROJECTS – PERFECTLY CURATED AND CLEVER.

MY FAVORITE PLANT OF ALL? THIS SUPER RARE JAPANESE WOODLAND PLANT PTERIDOPHYLLUM RACEMOSUM SEEMS TO COMBINE THE LOOK OF A SMALL FERN WITH A CARDAMINE, BUT IT IS ACTUALLY IN THE POPPY FAMILY. THIS SPECIMEN IN TONY REZNECEK’S GARDEN IS 8 YEARS OLD.

The post THREE ROCK GARDEN TOURS AT THE NARGS ANNUAL MEETING IN ANN ARBOR appeared first on Growing With Plants.

NATIVE PLANTS SHINE IN THIS WATER-WISE ROCK GARDEN IN SANTE FE ON A TOUR WITH THE NORTH AMERICAN ROCK GARDEN SOCIETY – A SOCIETY WHICH CAN HELP YOUR UNDERSTAND THAT ROCK GARDENS ARE NOT REALLY ALL ABOUT ROCKS.

Mention the term ‘Rock Garden’ and most people will offer a different definition. Even amongst the most passionate of rock gardening enthusiasts – member of the NARGS – the North American Rock Garden Society or the AGS – the Alpine Garden Society in the UK, even within the chatty, active chat rooms and forums of the very active and passionate SRGC – the Scottish Rock Garden Club folks disagree on what the exact definition is, but one thing is for certain – rock gardening has less to do about rocks, as it does about the plants – for each personal definition does provide a hint to what rock gardening is today – a hobby or interest which demands more than some basic knowledge about plant life. The art and science of rock gardening errs more on the side of science, ecology and botany than it does the ‘art’ part of the equation.

TROUGH CULTURE IS A VERY SPECIFIC TYPE OF ROCK GARDEN WHERE HIGH ELEVATION ALPINE PLANTS ARE GROWN IN HYPER-TUFA CONTAINERS MADE OF A SPECIAL BLEND OF CONCRETE THAT MIMIC’S TUFA ROCK – A HIGHLY POROUS LIMESTONE ROCK THAT MANY ALPINES GROW WELL ON, BUT THE TERM TROUGH CAN MEAN MUCH MORE THAN THESE ‘SINK-LIKE’ CONTAINERS.

Not that aesthetics aren’t important to rock gardeners, far from it, but rock gardening is about as far away from landscape design or outdoor decoration as a garden can get. In a nut shell, it’s more like recreating nature – think: habitat creation. Many rock gardens are like tiny zoo’s for plants. Want to raise a rare, high elevation saxifrage from the Alps? Then you will need to recreate the alpine conditions as best you can right in your own back yard – right down to the perfect drainage, soil pH and rocky outcroppings or screes where the specific genus once grew in nature. It’s a bit like creating a living diorama from a natural history museum – perhaps right in a small trough sitting on your deck, which is kind-of cool once you start thinking about it, right?

PURISTS IN THE ROCK GARDEN SOCIETIES STILL ENJOY ATTEMPTING TO GROW THE MOST CHALLENGING OF PLANTS – HIGH ELEVATION ALPINES SUCH AS THIS SAXIFRAGE SPECIES I SHOT IN ONE OF MY TROUGHS, BUT ROCK GARDENING TODAY CAN MEAN SO MUCH MORE.

Although many rock gardeners focus strictly on alpine plants in the UK, in the US the boundaries blur between interests – ferns, woodland plants, bulbs, shrubs, cacti and succulents and true, high-elevation alpines. So even though the first rock garden movement in the 1910’s, kick-started by a British plantsman and explorer Reginald Farrer  –  the ‘Father of Rock Gardening’ -as he he ignited the trend back in the Victorian era and it grew into a specialist favorite throughout the first half of the 20th century. Near the end of the 20th century, the trend started to wane, to evolve into what rock garden is today – more about interesting plants and the people who crave them, than anything else. Some of use still raise proper rock gardens in the English style, others, do it with a twist, raising plants in troughs, raised beds or pots.

ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF JOINING A ROCK GARDEN SOCIETY IS THE SOCIAL ASPECT, TOURS, LECTURES, TALKS, ROUND-TABLES, PLANT AND SEED EXCHANGES AND CONVENTIONS. THIS TOUR IN NEW MEXICO WAS ORGANIZED BY NARGS LAST YEAR, AND INCLUDED HIKES, STUDIES AND PLENTY OF CHATTY MEALS.

That all said, ‘Rock Gardening’ expland into many tangential specialist groups including the Penstemon Society, the Primrose Society and many other highly specialized groups based around a single genus. Then, there is California and the water shortage, where rock gardening may mean a water-wise gravel or sand garden. Similarly, in Arizona, it may mean a cactus garden or a Steppe garden, or  in Colorado and Utah a mixture of all three. In the North East, it may mean getting rid of your lawn and introducing native plants.

There is still an identity issue here to those trying to wrap their arms around what rock gardening actuall is, but there is one thing clear to all rock gardeners – a rock garden is not simply a garden of rocks. It’s about creating an environment or a habitat where these plants can grow, as most will sulk in a regular garden. This may mean fast drainage, protection from winter wet, or sand beds, gravel mulches or tiny crevice gardens of clay.

A VIEW OF MY RAISED ROCK WALL ROCK GARDEN WITH A MIXTURE OF LOW GROWING ALPINE BULBS, SPECIES TULIPS, DWARF EVERGREENS AND PERENNIALS. I TRY TO NOT GET TOO GEEKY ABOUT STAYING TRUE TO WHAT A TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY ROCK GARDEN MIGHT HAVE HAD IN IT, I PLANT A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING, FROM ANNUALS TO TREES AND BULBS. I NEVER HAVE TO WATER IT.

Even nurseries and garden centers are confused, often clumping together various low-growing or dwarf plants in areas and labeling them as ‘rock garden’ plants. There are only a handful of true alpine plant nurseries in North America, but as the term broadens to include woodland and shrubs and grasses, you can begin to see that a rock garden enthusiast could find a suitable rock garden plant in many aisles of a nursery, but the purist would most likely need to either join a local club, or order plants from a specialist nursery as few garden centers carry any rock plant beyond a sempervivum or a dwarf campanula.

WE DECIDED TO ELIMINATE THE LAWN IN OUR FRONT YARD, WHICH NOW LOOKS LIKE NEW YORK’s HI-LINE MEETS THE NETHERLANDS, BUT EVERYTHING IN IT CAME FROM INSPIRATION I RECIEVED FROM NARGS MEETINGS, EVEN THIS BLACK, DWARF IRIS, WHICH I BOUGHT AT A NARGS PLANT SALE.

In many ways, the North American Rock Garden Society is stuck with a very unfortunate name.  It may have been appropriate in 1930, but today, it can be misleading. First, the idea of a ‘society’ is limiting and off-putting to some, then there are the words North and American – it used to be called the American Rock Garden Society, but once again, Canada is left to fend for itself, so the name was changed. Even so, North America is limiting as well, especially as NARGS is a global society now. The word ‘Rock’ has many believing that rocks are essential to rock gardens ( and in many, they are), but as you can see here – rocks are only part of the story.  What about bulbs, ephemerals, woodland plants, wildflowers, prairie grasses or ferns and mosses?

Clearly, this is simply a PR and identity issue more than anything else. We should be smart enough to be able to overcome such issues, but changing names of large organizations is challenging, and although acronyms seem to only make the matter worse (NARGS…really?), the future of these groups weighs more on the members and what they believe in more than it does what they are ‘in to’. It’s safe to say that NARGS, AGS and SRGC attracts the most intellectual of the plant people, sure, but it also attracts those who are curious, smart, adventurous and who love learning more about plants.

A GROUP OF NARGS MEMBERS MEET ON A SATURDAY FOR A BOTANIZING HIKE. USUALLY THERE ARE A COUPLE OF INFORMED LEADERS, AND EVERYONE ELSE TAKES NOTES AND INSPIRATION. THESE ARE ALWAYS A GREAT TIME FOR NOVICES AND EXPERTS ALIKE.

Of all the benefits that are worthy with these groups, by far, the best part of membership are the sed exchanges. Annually, each of these clubs offered members a long, long list of fresh seed – seeds available from no where else – forget about saving heirloom tomatoes – what about an endangered plant from Brazil who’s habitat has been destroyed, thought to be extinct? I want to save THAT seed. Not a bean that I am saving because of some crazy, unfounded GMO fear. Make a difference in the world.

MY LOCAL CHAPTER, THE NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, WHERE THE LUNCH-TIME TALK WAS ON GESNERIADS WHICH ARE ALPINES. YOU MIGHT THINK THAT THIS WAS TOO INTENSE, BUT EVEN FIRST-TIME ATTENDEES WHERE ENGAGED AND MADE MUST-GET LISTS,

Attend any NARGS meeting ( there are many regional clubs that you can join, or you can simply join the national organization of NARGS, which, some full disclosure here,  I am currently the president of NARGS, something of which I am proud of, even though I still feel a bit inadequate in the role.  Attend any local or even the national annual meeting ( in two weeks???) and  you will find a cheerful, friendly group of plant enthusiasts who welcome both newbies and experts.  You just need to be curious and open about learning new things. Friends tell me that attending meetings is a little bit of boy scout meets a college lecture.

THE BRITISH SOCIETIES ARE VERY SOPHISTICATED ABOUT HOW AND WHAT ALPINES TO GROW, AND I TRY OCCASIONALLY TO IMITATE THEM IN THIS ALPINE HOUSE COLLECTION OF POTTED, TRUE ALPINES AND SMALL BULBS. NOT FOR EVERYONE, BUT I REALLY ENJOYED THE CHALLENGE.

My love for rock gardening and alpine plants started early in life, when I was a gardener at a small estate here in my home town which happened to have an extensive rock garden, tufa rock walls and an important collection of true rock plants. I just never took it all very seriously until I was much older, when about 20 years ago I started visiting some of the British sites – the Alpine Garden Society in the UK , in particular, as well as the Scottish Rock Garden Club. Both have deep sites where they share many  photos of their shows which happen it seems, every other week. No one can grow alpines in pots as well as those in the UK can, but believe me, I try. Just check out their show reports here – the Scottish ROck Garden Club imges are here.  Ian Young’s bulb log was the inspiration for my blog, he and his wife Margaret are both active members of the Scottish club, you just have to visit his extensive collection of images on his bulb log here. It is insane!

THE PLANT SHOWS OF ROCK GARDEN PLANTS IN THE UK ARE SPECTACULAR. MOST GROWERS RAISE THEIR ALPINE IN POTS AND IN ALPINE HOUSES, WHICH ARE ESSENTIALLY COLD GREENHOUSES. ALPINE HOUSES ARE DIFFICULT TO KEEP HERE IN THE US, BUT MANY OF US TRY.

I kind-of knew that I could not raise such plants here in the US, but I have tried – unfortunately, our climate doesn’t’ cooperate in most of the US (unless one lives in Alaska or the North West), but I tried, and continue to try to raise alpine-type plants in pots and containers. I brought a few of these to my first NARGS meeting where I quietly entered them into a show – basically, a folding table near a window in an all-purpose room our local chapter rented at a state park. Most meetings occur monthly, and some include an opportunity for ‘show and tell’, where members can bring in a pot or even a cutting of a precious plant, and members talk about it – sharing how they grew it. There is usually coffee and treats, and then a presentation of some sort, usually a guest speaker. A great way to spend a Saturday.

FORMER NURSURY OWNER AND PLANTSWOMAN ELLEN HORNIG, THE PRESIDENT OF MY LOCAL CHAPTERS AUCTIONS OFF A RARE MONOGRAPH ON THE GENUS GALANTHUS (SNOWDROPS) AT OUR LAST MEETING. I LEFT WITH ABOUT 25 BOOKS! THE TABLE IN BACK WAS A SHOW AND TELL OF MEMBERS PLANTS. IT WAS MARCH, AND MANY PLANTS WERE LATE THIS YEAR.

It was at this first meeting when I realized that although I knew so little about these plants, that everyone was taking notes, laughing, sharing stories about how they killed something, or triumphed with it.  There was a plant auction ( it was spring) and members brought in plants that they grew or divided at home ( a note about this – NARGS members run the full gamut, from novice to expert – and it’s these experts, which most chapters have in one way or another, that make membership so special – in this way, NARGS is not unlike an elite country club.

At this first meeting, I met and became friends with Darrelll Probst, the then epimedium expert who offered up few flats of rare plants that he raised from seed that he collected on expeditions to China with Dan Hinkley. These were amazing, to say the least – I mean, podophyllum that were just too precious or rare to sell to commercial nurseries like Plant Delights because he only had ten of them – each plant made me want to empty my bank account. ” This white dwarf Iris came from my last expedition to China, we are not sure about the taxonomy, the species may be new to science, it’s only 8 inches high, and covered itself with white Iris blossoms early in the year,  super hardy and it makes a huge mound – no one has it yet, so I’ll start the bidding off at $5 – any takers?). Crazy.

At the same meeting, I met chapter members allium expert Mark McDonough, bulb expert Russell Stafford of Odyssey Bulbs and the speaker who spoke on water-wise sand beds. I bought a beautiful hyper-tufa trough and a few flats of woodland plants, bulbs and alpines, a small Daphne shrub that a member started from seed ( a species which was hard to find) and I bought a tall stack of old journals that another member was selling. Throw in a few books from the chapter library that would be lucky to every show up on Amazon, and I was hooked.

I couldn’t wait for the next meeting – but I had to wait for an entire month! How could I ever survive?
NARGS is like that. Nothing at all like what my mother said rock gardening was about – rocks, placed in a garden. Ha.

THE PAGES IN THE CURRENT JOURNAL OF NARGS SHOWS THE DIVERSITY OF WILD PLANTS IN NATURE, FROM PATAGONIAN OXALIS  TO RARE PRIMROSES NOT IN CULTURE YET AND POPPIES FROM THE HIMALAYA. TELL ME – WHAT MAGAZINE FOR $35 OFFERS THIS SORT OF CONTENT TODAY 4 TIMES A YEAR? AND AT THE SAME TIME, OFFERS SEEDS OF MANY OF THESE PLANTS?

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of rocks in rack gardens – in particular, tufa rock, a porous limestone rock treasured by rock gardeners for true alpines, as they can root directly into the rock, but it is difficult to come by, and if you do, it is expensive. Hyper-tufa is a concrete mix, I think you’ve all seen it – people use it to make troughs or bowls in which to plant alpine plants.  You may remember it being used in some classic Martha Stewart Living TV episodes, or from a few DIY craft blogs. If done right, it can look very much like rock, and it is the preferred method for creating troughs, a very specific type of alpine garden where high elevation plants are raised in carefully constructed troughs which mimic the stone sinks early rock garden enthusiasts used in England, but if done poorly, it could look like dinosaur poop.

TROUGHS, WHICH ORIGINALLY WERE WHAT FARRER  CALLED SINK GARDENS IN 1900, ARE GAINING POPULARITY – EVEN IN THE SOUTH WEST – WHERE THIS ONE THRIVES IN THE SHADE OF A PINON PINE.

Regardless of how you define rock gardening or what a rock garden is, the art and science of it makes sense, as explained in a nice post on the NPR blog this week – where the author has shared some interesting thoughts about how relevant rock gardening can be today.

A SPREAD FOR THE CURRENT JOURNAL OF THE NORTH AMERICAN ROCK GARDEN SOCIETY, THE ROCK GARDEN QUARTERLY FEATURING AN ARTICLE ON PLANTS FROM AFGHANISTAN AND MUCH MORE. THIS IS CLEARLY NOT GARDEN DESIGN MAGAZINE OR WILDER, BUT IT SURELY HAS SUBSTANCE.

MY VERY SPECIAL GIVE AWAY

So in an effort to promote rock gardening or alpine gardens, I am offering two precious copies of the latest journal of NARGS to two randomly selected readers who leave comments on this post – how great is that? In this issue, you will see articles on plants from expeditions to Afghanistan, to China, and Patagonia, but mostly, I hope that you will see that rock gardening is more about discovering the wonder of some of the most special plants in the world, be they endangered or threatened, curious or odd, or simply rare and undiscovered.

I AM OFFERING A GIVEAWAY TO TWO WINNERS – THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE ROCK GARDEN QUARTERLY, THAT I HELPED REDESIGN – NORMALLY ONLY AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS OF NARGS. BETTER YET, JOIN!

All this said about rock gardens because our national Annual Meeting is being held in a couple of weeks in Ann Arbor. Hey, you could always attend and really get introduced to the whole scheme – I am bringing a couple of friends who have never been. If not, then at least check the NARGS sites for a local chapter of NARGS website here, and attend the next meeting – I promise you that people will welcome yo – tell them I sent you, and maybe you will be so inspired that you will join this great plant society that has such a long and respected history.

ALL SORTS OF INTERESTING ARTICLES COME IN THIS PRESTIGIOUS JOURNAL, FOUR TIMES A YEAR.

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This weekend I am attending the Annual Meeting of the North American Rock Garden Society being held in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Having never been to either Santa Fe or even New Mexico for that matter, I discovering why so many artists and creative people love this city. It’s unique Pueblo style architecture with adobe brick and stucco is amazing, not to mention the food, the people, the weather and the chili’s.

As some of you already know, I am so proud to have been elected as the new president of NARGS this weekend, and I am so excited to have been both nominated and elected into this two year term with such a respected plant group as the North American Rock Garden Society. In many ways, I feel so un qualified as there are many expert gardeners more qualified than I, as the membership includes some of of the finest botanists and plant enthusiasts of any plant group, but I understand the mission at hand – revitalizing, re-energizing and perhaps reinventing a group of smart, passionate and dedicated plant people and leading the way for a brighter future. Something many plant societies will need to address in the coming years. I cannot make many big promises, but I can and will tell the membership that I will do my very best to inspire and bring a positive energy to the group.

The adobe architecture in and around Santa Fe keeps authentic, much like parts of New England.

I am very busy here, as meetings and hikes continue every day, but I thought that I might share some images – with very little text. Enjoy!

Centranthus ruber  growing in a border in front of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.

Street markets around Santa Fe feature exactly what one would expect in such an alley.

NARGS members gather at a trail head for one of the many hikes, botanizing the mountains of Sangre de Christo in New Mexico.

The view from – of all things, the hot tub at one of the private homes we visited.

Many Salvia thrive in the arid, desert-like climate which still gets snow in the winter, but hot, dry drought in the summer. These plants were in the gardens at the home of a NARGS member.

This Erodium, related to the geranium, blooms in the bright shade. Not many alpine plants bloom in August, but the Erodiums do.

This Saliva azurea was stunning! I wonder if I could grow this blue beauty in my greenhouse?

A Cyclamen hederifolium in New Mexico? If sited right, many zone 5 plants can grow here if a bit of water is offered. Besides, this climate in not unlike that of Turkey or the Steppes of Asia.

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Krasnaya Polyana? Yes, it’s where Snowboarding in Sochi currently rules…..but in the summer, these hills are alive with the sound of  plant people botanizing. This resort area known as the ‘Switzerland of Russia’, was off limits to any Westerner until maybe, hopefully now. This area around Sochi opens up a new botanical world to explore.

The answer is obviously, Sochi Russia, and with the Winter Olympics well under way, we are getting a chance to see some of the impressive scenery that exists in these remote villages in the western Caucasus’. Particularly in the small village of Krasnaya Polyana, where  most of the snowboard  events are held. Knows to Russians, for both skiing and summer hiking, few outside of the country have ever had a chance to visit, and explore these peaks and valleys so rich in flora. As I watch the snowboard events today, with those breathtaking images of icy rivers and footage of inspiring snow capped peaks in the NBC bumpers and interstitials, I can’t help but wonder about the inspiring adventures we could have there soon – searching for plant species as we hike and explore a region which, until recently, was difficult if not impossible to visit as an American.

In he autumn, the high elevation areas around Sochi offer spectacular scenery with streams, waterfalls and forests as well as one of most plant species diverse areas in on the planet in its alpine region.

Aside from the natural beauty and friendly people of this mountainous region, where the Caucasus truly become valuable is with its botanic treasures, many species which are unique to this area, are related to the forests along the same latitude ( primarily maples, beech and spruces), but in the high mountain meadows, and high mountain forests, the real treasures lie. Hellebores, Trolius, Delphinium and a few choice Galanthus ( Snowdrop)  species only found on these slopes, yet tragically, one the five known sites of an endangered snowdrop, Panjutin’s snowdrop (Galanthus panjutini),  which was just recognized in 2012, was reportedly destroyed by construction crews preparing the area for these very Olympic games. The species is now considered to be Endangered according to IUCN Red List criteria, as it is known from only five locations, and its only area of occupancy (AOO) is estimated to be 20 square kilometers, with a major part of that now destroyed due to the new Olympic facilities.

 On a lighter note, the Olympic Snowboard events are held in the small resort town of Krasnaya Poliana, a name which in English translates roughly into Red Meadow. The alpine plant authority Vojtech Holubec mentioned in his book THE CAUCASUS AND IT’S FLOWERS (Loxia 2006) states that the name may come from bright red autumn foliage of a large Rumex species which is abundant on these slopes.

Mountainous areas around the world are popular with plant people, where trails and lifts open up areas which would typically be inaccessible if it were not for ski resorts, and their gondolas.

Most mountainous areas share the same genus are certain elevations, like Pulsatilla, Anemone Trollius and Gentiana, these are the Pasque Flowers,  Buttercups and Gentians we all see on place mats at ski resorts, but the same genus here are unique. Pulsatilla aurea instead of the species common in the Swiss Alps, Pulsatilla alpina for instance. Of course, there are over 33 species of Pulstatila worldwide, each specific to a different mountain range, but without getting too geeky, those species of most alpine plants in the Caucasus are perhaps the most undiscovered, and when it comes to botanizing – hiking to see plants and then identifing them, photographing them and yes, Instagraming them, the Caucasus are going to offer us a whole new world to discover soon.

Other plants you may know, but which have rare relatives which hail the Caucasus include many species of Peony such as Paeonia mlokosewitschii (yeah, Molly-the-Witch), the ferny leaved alpine peony, P. tenuifolia, P caucasicam, P. wittmanniana and P. lagodechiana. Now, add to this many species of Corydalis, Saxifraga, many rare Primroses not in cultivation (Primula), and many campanula species and you can start to see how rich this area is with plants – and I haven’t even mentioned bulbs. If you are interested in hiking and exploring the Krasnaya Polyana area, you may want to visit the website Russkie Prostori, which presents many of the hikes and trails in the area which is also known as the Switzerland of Russia.

Now that there are modern lifts in at the ski resorts, it will be easier to explore the alpine flora in Krasnaya Polyana. which offers more species per square meter than any mountain in the Swiss Alps.

 I hope the events go well, for both the athletes and for the people who live in this once remote area of Russia, for now that there are hotels and ski resorts here, and many sporting events planed for the future, that the area will also be open for hikers and trekkers looking for new places to botanize. Ski areas with modern lifts offer a secondary benefit of summer high elevation sightseeing and sports, but before the mountain bikers take to the trails, it’s common for hikers and plant lovers to take gondolas and lifts up to the highest peaks, to not only save time in trekking up the mountain, but to save ones knees and legs.

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 The Alpine Rock Garden at the Denver Botanic Gardens is world-renowned for its diversity and collections of high-elevation alpine plants, and western US native plants, steppe plants and succulents. One of the largest rock gardens in the United States, I saved this garden for a different day, as it deserved a more focused visit. Rock gardens can be controversial – at least properly defining them when garden geeks get together. Even today, many gardeners cannot agree on where they should be gardens filled with rocks, or gardens constructed to house true rock plants or alpine plants. The Alpine Rock Garden at the DBG is a little of both – but it is clearly inspired by the great European rock or alpine gardens from the turn of the century. This garden houses many plants native to the prairie and steppe areas of the great American south west. Purists may grumble, expecting to see sweeps of gentians and pulsatilla such as those seen at Kew or the Montreal Botanic Gardens, but the DBG garden is unique in the world of alpine gardens, and it is often listed as one of the great three ( Kew, Edinburgh and Denver) Rock Gardens maintained today. It alone is worth a visit while in the Denver area.

MANY TRUE ALPINE PLANTS GROW DENSE AND TIGHT UNDER THE EXTREME CONDITIONS FOUND AT HIGH ELEVATIONS. THE TIGHT GROWTH HELPS THE PLANTS CONSERVE ENERGY, AND MANY FORM TIGHT BUNS AND TUSSOCKS, LOOKING MUCH LIKE THE ROCKS WHICH THEY GROW NEXT TO,

A NICE, WHITE ALPINE CAMPANULA

ROCK GARDENS ARE HABITAT GARDENS, THE CLOSEST THING IN ANY BOTANIC GARDEN TO A WILD HABITAT.  IT’S THAT BALANCE BETWEEN ROCKS AND PLANTS, THAT MAKES A ROCK GARDEN SO APPEALING, AND PRACTICAL – MANY ROCK GARDENS CAN ALSO BE XERIC GARDENS, REQUIRING LITTLE WATER IF PLANTED WITH THE PROPER SPECIES. ALPINES HAVE DEEP TAP ROOTS.

A NEW FEATURE AT THE DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS IS THIS CZECH STYLE CREVICE GARDEN, NEWLY PLANTED WITH ROCK PLANTS.

Ehedra przewalskii,  WITH RED BERRIES. IT’S IN THE JOINT FIR FAMILY- EPHEDRACEAE A POISONOUS PLANT, THIS IS THE EPHEDRA THAT CAN CAUSE HEART PALPITATIONS

Phlomis alpina, ALPINE JERUSALEM SAGE LOOKS NICE, EVEN AS DRIED SEED PODS FORM

Manfreda virginica, THE FALSE ALOE, NATIVE TO THE SOUTH EASTERN US. STILL A MEMBER OF THE AGAVAEAE ( AGAVE or CENTURY PLANT FAMILY), THE FLOWER STALK WAS NEARLY 5 FEET TALL.

A PRAYING MANTIC, HUNTS FOR SNACKS ON A Pelargonium englicherianum WHICH HAS GONE TO SEED

A MORE WELL BEHAVED FIREWEED, THE ALPINE WILLOWHERB OR Epilobium fleischeri, ALSO A PLANT SELECT® OFFERING IN THE SOUTH WEST.

MANY DESERT PLANTS AND DRYLAND PLANTS ARE INTERPLANTED WITH HIGH ELEVATION ALPINE PLANTS IN THE DBG ALPINE AND ROCK GARDEN. I WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE LABELING, MOST EVERY PLANT WAS LABELED, AN ENORMOUS TASK, BUT HELPFUL FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE STILL LEARNING.

THIS TINY FLOWER ONLY A HALF INCH IN DIAMETER ON A THREE FOOT SHRUB IS A CLEMATIS. MEET Clematis stans NATIVE TO JAPAN

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE CREVICE GARDEN. I WILL HAVE TO COME BACK AND SEE THIS IN JUNE.

SENIOR HORTICULTURIST, MIKE KINTGEN, CAN BE FOUND TENDING THE COLLECTION IN THE DBG ROCK GARDEN MOST EVERY DAY, AT LEAST WHEN HE ISN’T IN HIS OFFICE.  WHO COULD BLAME HIM!

MAIN VIEW OF THE DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS’ MAGNIFICENT ALPINE AND ROCK GARDEN

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A VINTAGE METAL COOLER IS PLANTED WITH HIGH-ELEVATION MOUNTAIN TOP PLANTS

THE PLANTS HERE ARE A MIXTURE OF ALPINE PLANTS FROM SOUTH AMERICA ( THE OXALIS ON THE LOWER LEFT) TO LEWISIA, ON THE LOWER RIGHT NAMED AFTER MERIWEATHER LEWIS, SO A BIT OF MONTANA.

MANY OF THESE COOLERS CAN BE FOUND FOR LESS THAN $20 ON EBAY, OR A LOCAL YARD SALES FOR $5.00, ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE SLIGHTLY RUSTED, AS THIS ONE IS ( DOUBLE INSULATED, THE RUST OFTEN ONLY OCCURS ON THE OUTSIDE LAYER). JUST DRILL HOLES IN THE BOTTOM EVERY THREE INCHES TO ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE DRAINAGE.

A LAYER OF GRAVEL IS ADDED IN THE BOTTOM, WHICH MAKES THE COOLER HEAVY, BUT IT IS NECESSARY.  TODAY, MANY ALPINE PLANTS CAN BE FOUND AT YOUR BETTER LOCAL NURSERIES, BUT YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY MORE INTERESTING ONES FROM A SPECIALIST GROWER.

 Alpine plants can be a broad term, if you are not too adventurous, you can simply use sempervivums or succulents, which will perform very well in a container like this, but if you want something more authentic, then you can mix in some rare or interesting alpine plants ( try ordering from Wrightman Alpines, or check out next Saturday’s giant alpine plant sale at Stonecrop in Cold Spring New York, where on Saturday, April 28 from 9:00 am until 3:00 am, the 5th annual North American Rock Garden Society plant sale occurs.  Some of the finest growers will be there, and they could even help you recreate a scene from your favorite mountain range ( The alps, Aspen, the Cascades, the Bitteroots).

STICKER HELP WITH THE LOOK, BUT CURATE THEM CAREFULLY – THIS IS THE FUN PART. SEARCH ONLINE FOR STICKERS ON EBAY OR START COLLECTING THEM FROM YOUR FAVORITE RESORTS, MOUNTAIN BRANDS OR SOMETHING THAT MATCHES YOUR LIFESTYLE.  TRY ASKING FOR THEM AT YOUR LOCAL MOUNTAINEERING STORE, OFTEN THEY ASRE FREE. THEMES CAN BE  AS STYLISH  AS VAIL, AS POSH AS PONTRESINA, SWITZERLAND, OR AS EXTREME AS, OH, I DON’T KNOW, THE  XGAMES.

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 There are many named selections of Silver Sax’s as well as many species but they are not easy to find. One must either mail order them from a handful of alpine plant nurseries ( mine are from Wrightman Alpines) or, one can start them from cuttings that you can take from a friends’ plant. I plant my cutting in holes that are drilled into Tufa rock, a limestone rock which is porous, and also hard to find, but worth searching for at alpine nurseries, for it is the only rock that these planted will grow in. You might try these alpined in soil or a gravelly mix, but between you and me, there is really only one way to grow the giant specimens like these, and that is to root your own plants directly into Tufa rock. Once established, they are rather care free.

A silver saxifraga growing in a trough. I still need to clean up the troughs, use tweezers to remove pine and spruce needles, and then spread a new layer of granite chips, but beyond that, there is little care.

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