Growing alpine plants - any avice?

[Samuel1988]

Afternoon all,

I bought some bulbs (alliums, crocus, tuilips) which I hope to put in around my pond area and, upon doing more reading up about these plants, I now realise they require conditions other than what I have around my pond (I found these plants in The Rock & Water Garden Expert book).

Can I simply fill up some long pots with soil and put in lots of gravel/grit/stones, mix it all up and bung these bulbs in?

Could I simply hunt around the garden for stones and collect them up and this would be suffice?

Or maybe I could put lots of stones in an area of the raised bed around the pond, mix it in a bit then plant the bulbs?

I would really hate to bung them in and not give them the best start in life!

Many thanks,

Samuel

[veggiechicken]

Alliums, crocus and tulips will grow in ordinary soil - they don't need grit.

[roitelet]

I just 'bung' mine in and they are fine.

[andy_j]

As above, i planted 55,000 spring bulbs last year and they were just "bunged" in....i didn't even bother which way up they went, i just dug a hole and emptied a small sackfull into it and covered it up.

[george356]

Bulbs carry their own little ecosystem within them - they will do OK "bunged" in, but will do much better, long term, given the right conditions (that is if they are going to stay in the same spot year on year).

Get a couple of bags of coarse sand from the builders merchant and maybe a bag of grit from the garden centre to mix with your compost. mix it to the ratio of 2 x compost, 2 x coarse sand, 1 x grit.

Now, fruit and veg? As Shultz from Hogan's Heroe's would say - "I know nothing"!

[Two_Sheds]

I bought some bulbs (alliums, crocus, tuilips) ...I now realise they require conditions other than what I have

You read too much, and you worry too much


They may have originated in rocky places, but they are perfectly adaptable to our gardens. Just dig a hole, bung them in and they'll grow.

[alldigging]

You read too much, and you worry too much


They may have originated in rocky places, but they are perfectly adaptable to our gardens. Just dig a hole, bung them in and they'll grow.

They'll even grow if you leave them in a bag in the house for months and months and months.

[Greenfingerpaula]

As above, i planted 55,000 spring bulbs last year and they were just "bunged" in....i didn't even bother which way up they went, i just dug a hole and emptied a small sackfull into it and covered it up.

55,000........ Really........?!

[Two_Sheds]

They'll even grow if you leave them in a bag in the house for months and months and months.

True, true