I decided last week that I want to grow alpines in a terracotta pot. I know that they look good in a rockery or a wall, but I have neither of those; and I know that they look good in a sink but a sink is too low for my liking and I think the terracotta frost-proof pot I have chosen by Yorkshire Flower Pots will look good. In fact, at the RHS Centre in Harlow Carr today I got two for the price of one. I have bought sempervivums for my display. I love the things, the succulent leaves, the way they flower beautifully, and the way they propagate themselves so readily. 'Sempervivum' means always alive and they just get on with it. I've never killed one off yet. They are very hardy indeed. All they require is
very well draining, dryish soil - they won't thank you for watery conditions - in a
sunny situation and horticultural grit around their bases. Sempervivums belong to the Crassulaceae family and 'Lilac Time' is one of my chosen plants. It has large grey-green rosettes with waxy lilac bloom and pink flowers in summer. I'll take a photo if mine flower this year.
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| Sempervivum 'Lilac Time' |
You can just see baby plants in the top left and right corners. When I had a big garden with a drystone wall I used to plant alpines, including sempervivums, in crevices in the wall and those baby plants would drop off and just grow in any little bit of soil or rock they could cling onto. No point, in my opinion, in buying more than one sempervivum at a time unless you are in a desperate hurry to fill a large space. Note: my sempervivums are wet in this and following posts simply because it is raining today. I haven't purposely watered them.
This is the tub that I am going to grow my selection of plants in. It's about 10in high and about 16in diameter.
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| Terracotta pot by Yorkshire Flower Pots |
