Hello Megan, like Reginald Farrer I also come from Yorkshire. Plain speaking is better understood in this region. I now understand, I think, your reason for your project. Many people who grow alpines, among other plants, only have a small garden and a water feature, whether a cascade, stream, pond or bog, is still on the wish list. I have a variety of tiny habitats in my own garden. These have been created to try to re-produce the habitat of the plants needs. Having photographed plants in the wild in the UK for more than 40 years, I also like to try growing some of them myself providing I can find a supplier who also likes native plants. Many growers consider our own plants to be either boring or not commercially viable. The Japanese gardens I have seen on TV seem to be either moss orientated or stones, both with trees or rocks. I have not seen a Japanese garden dedicated to alpine plants. There are many alpine plants in the upland areas of the Japanese Islands but perhaps they are not in fashion. Some early rock gardens took on the appearance of a currant bun, with rocks sitting on the surface of an earth dome. I suppose the purpose of a garden evolves into what the owner wants. The size of the plot and the imagination of the gardener, coupled with essentials such as a play area for children and somewhere to hang the washing. The style of garden often changes through time, whether influenced by TV gardening shows, visits to gardens or the obsession with a particular species. My personal view is that a garden is for growing plants in a setting which suits the plants but that is not so easy to achieve, unless you have a garden the size of Monty Dons. To me, a garden with a neat lawn and straight flower beds would be a waste of space but then I have spent many years looking for wild flowers in the rough terrain and uncultured countryside. By creating a dry stone wall a small space can be used to grow a range of alpines, providing there is an earth bank behind the wall for plants to root in to. Whether a cross-culture approach to gardening is feasible I don,t know. Perhaps using a Japanese/other culture idea to grow our own native plants could be considered? After all, rocks, trees, moss, and pebbles all occur in the UK. There are quite a few miniature woods on the north west coast containing small trees, rocks and moss. I think our limit is the size of garden and the size of our imagination?
