Slow growing alpine plants
Browse our selection of the best slow growing alpine plants, perfect for adding foliage colour and flowering interest in the rockery garden. Alpine plants are those which naturally originate from mountainous regions in an alpine climate at high elevation, above the tree line. These areas are associated with exposed conditions, lots of direct sunlight and poor, stony soil, sometimes with rocky outcrops. These conditions foster plants that are extremely hardy, tolerant of dry winters, cold weather, often covered by snow for long periods of time, and able to cope with unabating direct sunlight on hot summer days. It is common to find many different species of alpine growing together, completely in harmony creating an interesting and diverse tapestry of foliage and flower. Rockeries are constructed as natural-looking rocky outcrops in the garden, ideally on a slope in full sun. They work particularly well alongside ponds, water features or next to walls and can be given extra height and contours using railway sleepers if your garden is naturally flat. Some of the best slow growing alpine varieties include arabis plants, aubretia and certain varieties of campanula and sedum.