Join Debi Holland as she explains why she’s so captivated by alpine plants, and shows you how to create your own alpine trough. Debi shares her expert advice on how to create the right environment for growing these hardy gems.
How to plant an alpine trough
Read the transcript
I’m going to show you how to plant an alpine trough. When I’m lucky enough to go on holiday to the French Alps, I love walking and cycling there and looking for alpines in their natural habitat. I think of them as plants with superpowers. They cope with strong sun, cold and high winds, often clinging to rocky outcrops with very little nutrition. Our job as gardeners is to recreate those conditions as best we can, and the key is drainage.
Prepare the trough. I’m using a recycled Belfast sink, but any container with a drainage hole will do. Mix peat-free compost with sand and grit for a free-draining growing medium. Put a crock over the drainage hole to stop compost blocking it, then half-fill the container with the mix.
Arrange the plants. I’ve chosen alpines for both flowers and foliage. The white saxifrage is my centrepiece. I’m adding pinks, including ‘Supernova’, and thrift, which has grassy foliage and pink flowers you can deadhead. I’ve also got ‘Arabesque Rose Delight’ for one side and Phlox subulata ‘Emerald Cushion Light Blue’ to spread across the display. Set the plants out before planting to see how they look together.
Plant and fill in. Take each alpine out of its pot, gently tease the roots and remove some of the old compost. Set the plants into place, then top up the mix around each one.
Finish with gravel. Add a couple of centimetres of decorative gravel as a rocky mulch. It helps slow evaporation, keeps the roots cool and lets rainwater drain away. Alpines are prone to rotting, so the gravel helps keep moisture away from the necks of the plants. It also stops rain from splashing compost onto the foliage. Add a few larger rocks to complete the mountain scene, then sit back and enjoy your alpines.
