Alpines for a changing climate

[John85]

As summers become hotter and dryer what alpines would you suggest that can endure those conditions.
Here(Mid west France) we had no rain at all in July and August,and only 10mm in September.Temperatures went up to 36c for several days.
Sedums,sempervivums and jovibarbas are obvious choices as are the most hardy Mediterranean plants but temperatures drop to -8 in winter without any snowcover.

[fermi de Sousa]

Welcome to my world, John!
Go for a lot of bulbs which will go dormant before the summer,
cheers
fermi

[Carolyn]

As summers become hotter and dryer what alpines would you suggest that can endure those conditions.

Or move to Scotland....

[John85]

@ Carolyn :only when you will have eradicated midges!I like walks in the countryside without having to look like a beekeeper
@ fermi  : bulbs are fine for spring and autumn .Any ideas for some flowers in summer that are perennials and that are frost hardy?

[Carolyn]

We don't have midges ALL the time, John! But I must admit I have more or less given up camping in my dear native land. By way of compensation are the wonderful meconopsis, primulas, etc which we can grow here and you can always sit in the house and admire them through the window.

[fermi de Sousa]

.Any ideas for some flowers in summer that are perennials and that are frost hardy?

Hi John,
After the spring bulbs we have Triteleia, Brodiaea, Allium, Habranthus.
Non-bulbs we use include  Salvia, Limonium, Teucrium, phlox, Origanum and Dianthus which should provide some species which would be suitable in your garden.
Have a look at the sort of things that Tim Ingram grows,
cheers
fermi

[Tristan_He]

Hi John, you could also try some of the North American alpines, many of which prefer drier conditions than we can give them. Maybe a visit to the Alplains website...?

Dianthus are great, so are many Campanula and Edraianthus. Lots of bulbs including things like Tulips, Sternbergia, Crocus, Orchis and Oprhys that like a good summer bake. Daphnes for a bit of structure.

You can still try the cooler growing stuff of course, but you will need to pay more attention to microclimatic things like aspect, water and shading. The importance of microclimate should not be underestimated though - did you know that in shaded streams in summer, the water temperature can be 8-10C cooler than unshaded ones? Obviously that is the difference between life and death for many sensitive species, including alpines.

Hope this helps.

Tristan

[Leucogenes]

Hi John, you could also try some of the North American alpines, many of which prefer drier conditions than we can give them. Maybe a visit to the Alplains website...?

Dianthus are great, so are many Campanula and Edraianthus. Lots of bulbs including things like Tulips, Sternbergia, Crocus, Orchis and Oprhys that like a good summer bake. Daphnes for a bit of structure.



Exactly these plants I would also suggest ... for example still Townsendia, Globularia repens, Vitaliana and Acantholimon. And almost all of the Alps from the Balkans, Turkey, Greece. Leontopodium also has few species which may be dry. Leontopodium alpinum sub. nivale is ideal for dry location (photo). At all ... In winter protection from damp and frost (without snow).

[John85]

@ fermi : what phlox do you mean , divaricata?pilosa??I found them rather thirsty plants.I have tried the other ones.Origanums and some dianthus are doing not too badly like the local(and protected) D. gallicus : flowers are fine but the plant is a bit leggy.
We are not allowed to water non edible plants when there is a drought.I even lost a delosperma this summer!!!
Tim Ingram has milder winters.He can grow plants I cannot , even with some protection.
@ tristan That is exactly what I hoped for : some suggestions of  alpines from the drier regions of the Rockies.Plants from the mountains of Greece are not always frost hardy enough.Will have a look at Alplains website Thank you.
I wish we had streams in the summers.Most of the rivers were(and still are) dry.But yes I have put some shading and a good mulch to limit evaporation.
@ Leucogenes Thank you for your suggestions.I grow globularia and acantholimon.I'll try the other ones.

[Tristan_He]

I would say Phlox douglasii John.

I also recommend you check out this thread about Anne and Joe Spiegel's New York State Garden, and this one about Kenton Seth's prairie rockeries.

The Crevice Gardening thread on this site has loads of inspiration too. It's rather long though, even for me!

Best, Tristan

[Tim Ingram]

These are the alpines that have done best for us through this hot dry summer in a sand bed, but I have watered the bed once or twice! Here there is Lithodora zahnii and oleifolia, Veronica thymoides, Helianthemum canum (and elsewhere in the garden helianthemums have been amongst the best of all plants this summer), Phlox douglasii, Rhodanthemum hosmariense and 'African Eyes', surprisingly various daphnes that have got their roots down deep into the soil below - e.g: cneorum, x hendersonii, modesta and calcicola - Polygala calcarea 'Lillet', Edraianthus and various Campanula species (all of which seed around), Origanum laevigatum, Erinacea anthyllis, Cotula hispida, and there are several small Yucca species in the bed which are very hardy. We haven't been as dry as you in France, but similar temperatures, and it really pushes the tolerance of the plants!

It would be a good subject for a meeting some time - comparing experiences gardening with alpines in such dry climates.

[astragalus]

Hi John, I think you're gardening in my territory!  Since mid-June, we had one small rain all summer in August and then it didn't rain again until the end of October.  You might think of some of the North American alpines and even high desert plants. Try townsendias (especially T. montana and T. rothrockii), or some of the cushion phlox like P. pulvinata.  Phlox difusa wants a bit more water in my experience. Phlox douglasia is lovely but not for your most special places because it can have "taking ways". Try some of the Turkish veronicas, they are all marvelous in summer drought.  Edraianthus seems to do well, much better than campanulas for me. The small daphnes (arbuscula, hendersonii etc) do extremely well.  I'd even suggest some astragalus (A. angustifolius, A. monspessulans) and Oxytropis multiceps. You need to check out Alplains for seeds. That's just for starters, there are so many more.