Alpine Botanical Garden in Vaud Switzerland

[Paul T]

Thanks for the name, Luit.  I grow very few Alliums, but might have to make an effort to find that one.  I just love the flowers and the arching stems.

[Otto Fauser]

Paul, thanks for your enthusiastic comments, I would love to know more about the plants there - not all the labels were evident or maybe I just didn't connect them with the actual plant    I, too, would like to know what number 23, 24 and 35 are and will try to find out unless anyone else 'visiting' can give a clue or answer?  Both are extremely attractive in the way they display each flower in a arc and looked very happy 'on the rocks'  
[/Robin , what an amazing garden , thank you for showing it to us.
 There is another beautyful Alpine Garden [though on a smaller scale] to which I have climbed on a few occasions above Garmisch  , Bavaria . It is the alpine offshoot of the Munich Botanic Garden .

 The mistery Allium looks to me very much like A. narcissiflorum .quote]

[Sinchets]

It would be great to have a year round stream through the garden- so many more niches to fit plants in!

[Stephenb]

Paul, thanks for your enthusiastic comments, I would love to know more about the plants there - not all the labels were evident or maybe I just didn't connect them with the actual plant    I, too, would like to know what number 23, 24 and 35 are and will try to find out unless anyone else 'visiting' can give a clue or answer?  Both are extremely attractive in the way they display each flower in a arc and looked very happy 'on the rocks'  
[/Robin , what an amazing garden , thank you for showing it to us.
 There is another beautyful Alpine Garden [though on a smaller scale] to which I have climbed on a few occasions above Garmisch  , Bavaria . It is the alpine offshoot of the Munich Botanic Garden .

 The mistery Allium looks to me very much like A. narcissiflorum .quote]

Are Allium narcissiflorum and A. insubricum synonyms or can they be told apart? I have been told that narcissflorum has flowers that don't nod to the same degree as insubricum. Anyone know?

[cohan]

i was looking forward to a chance to have a look at this---well worth the wait! what a delightful place!
seems like a wonderful range of plants... good to see the one shot with someone in the background, made me realise those mounds/beds were larger than i thought

very cool that you were able to meet the gardener..lots of potential in a connection like that


i agree with simon, would love to have a stream through the garden--not to mention all that rock presumably close at hand


how far would this be from you?

[Ragged Robin]

Glad you enjoyed the visit,Cohan, I felt as if everyone was there whilst going round and was looking for plants that I thought might be of interest.
The Alpine garden has a pretty natural feel to the layout and formation of the gardens which I particularly liked - nothing forced looking and everything blending in and asking one to explore.  The main planting is medicinal and the students from Lausanne university use it a lot for research.  Really great to find a place like this that is for the people to encourage and educate rather than to make money don't you think?  

It's 50 mins drive towards Lausanne from Martigny

[Maggi Young]

Really great to find a place like this that is for the people to encourage and educate rather than to make money don't you think?

It most certainly is, Robin.... and that description fits the ethos of the SRGC too!!

[Paddy Tobin]

Robin,

Apologies, I have viewed the photographs several times and read the subsequent comments but failed to thank you for your excellent report. Greatly enjoyed it.

The whole concept of the garden is wonderful. Last July we visited Wengen and visited a similar garden near there. My only regret was that it hadn't been the first place I had visited as it gave a great start to days walking in the mountains, a great introduction to the plants to be seen - and all labelled, making subsequent days out all the more informative and enjoyable.

As above, I think the allium is A. narcissiflorum, a lovely plant.

Great report!

Paddy

[Sinchets]

I had read that Allium insubricum was the species that usually masqueraded in commerce as A.narcissiflorum. Though Phillips and Rix say they are closely related with only minor differences.

[Ragged Robin]

Really great to find a place like this that is for the people to encourage and educate rather than to make money don't you think?

It most certainly is, Robin.... and that description fits the ethos of the SRGC too!!

Maggi, perhaps that's why so many of us feel so at home as part of the SRGC and are willing to share information in a way that is quite extraordinary - just for the thrill of knowing that it is beneficial and appreciated  

[Ragged Robin]

Robin,

Apologies, I have viewed the photographs several times and read the subsequent comments but failed to thank you for your excellent report. Greatly enjoyed it.

The whole concept of the garden is wonderful. Last July we visited Wengen and visited a similar garden near there. My only regret was that it hadn't been the first place I had visited as it gave a great start to days walking in the mountains, a great introduction to the plants to be seen - and all labelled, making subsequent days out all the more informative and enjoyable.

As above, I think the allium is A. narcissiflorum, a lovely plant.

Great report!

Paddy

Paddy, no need to apologise,  I'm delighted you enjoyed the Alpine garden and found it interesting.  As you say, it is great to find a place like that that offers another experience close by and I would love to have had the time to walk through the Plan de Nant Nature Reserve - it takes about a day but the view must be stunning and, of course, the alpine flowers 

[Ragged Robin]

By the way, can anyone identify the blue flowering plant, in photo 31, which is rather intriguing?

[Sinchets]

Well i was going to  say it was a Moltkia- but then I saw the sign behind it 

[cohan]

Glad you enjoyed the visit,Cohan, I felt as if everyone was there whilst going round and was looking for plants that I thought might be of interest.
The Alpine garden has a pretty natural feel to the layout and formation of the gardens which I particularly liked - nothing forced looking and everything blending in and asking one to explore.  The main planting is medicinal and the students from Lausanne university use it a lot for research.  Really great to find a place like this that is for the people to encourage and educate rather than to make money don't you think?  

It's 50 mins drive towards Lausanne from Martigny

yes, great to have a local government who feels its worthwhile

as for the SRGC, another great resource and community! as for plant groups, i guess one is happy if they can SURVIVE  financially, and in terms of the great amount of unpaid work needed, let alone make money!

[Ragged Robin]

Well i was going to  say it was a Moltkia- but then I saw the sign behind it  

Thanks for the ID Simon, I couldn't quite distinguish the soft focus half sign but was sure someone would recognise it especially as it comes from the Balkans   Do you grow Moltkia?

Chiltern seeds describes Moltkia petraea Boraginaceae (if that is the one shown) as a rare and unusual plant to grow:

This plant is a delight. A rare species from the mountains of the Balkans, it is a dwarf sub-shrub, a neat woody bush with the entire plant covered with silky hairs. Not only are the flowers gorgeous, tubular in shape, opening pinkish-blue and becoming deep violet-blue and produced in abundant dense colours, but they bloom from spring well into summer, if not to September. Quite easy to grow in any reasonable soil, it is particularly partial to sunny crevices in rockwork. 12-18 ins.