An alpine garden (or alpinarium, alpinum) is a domestic or

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

, or more often a part of a larger garden, specializing in the collection and cultivation of

alpine plant Alpine plants are plants that grow in an alpine climate, which occurs at high elevation and above the tree line. There are many different plant species and taxa that grow as a plant community in these alpine tundra. These include perennial grasses, ...

s growing naturally at high altitudes around the world, such as in the Caucasus, Pyrenees, Rocky Mountains, Alps, Himalayas and Andes. It is one of the most common types of rock garden. An alpine garden tries to imitate the conditions of the plants' place of origin. One example of this is using large stones and gravel beds, rather than the soil that naturally grows there. Though the plants can cope with low temperatures, they dislike standing in damp soil during the winter months. The soil used is typically poor (sandy) but extremely well-drained. One of the main obstacles in developing an alpine garden is the unsuitable conditions which exist in some areas, particularly mild or severe winters and heavy rainfall, such as those present in the United Kingdom and Ireland. This can be avoided by growing the plants in an

alpine house A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown.These s ...

(essentially an unheated

greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of Transparent ceramics, transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic condit ...

), which tries to reproduce the ideal conditions, or just covering them with a raised sheet of glass in winter. According to some Austrian sources, the first true alpine garden was created by

Anton Kerner von Marilaun Anton Kerner Ritter von Marilaun, or Anton Joseph Kerner, (12 November 1831 – 21 June 1898) was an Austrian botanist and professor at the University of Vienna. Career Kerner was born in Mautern, Lower Austria, and studied medicine in Vienna f ...

in 1875 on the Blaser Mountain, in Tyrol, Austria, at an altitude of .

Vegetation

Typical plants found in an alpine garden include: * ''

Androsace ''Androsace'', commonly known as rock jasmine, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae, second only to ''Primula'' in the number of species. It is predominantly Arctic–alpine, with many species in the Himalayas (where the genu ...

'' * '' Arabis alpina'' (rock cress) * '' Campanula'' - alpine species * ''

Dianthus ''Dianthus'' () is a genus of about 340 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native mainly to Europe and Asia, with a few species in north Africa and in southern Africa, and one species (''D. repens'') in arctic North Ameri ...

'' - alpine species * ''

Gentiana ''Gentiana'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the gentian family (Gentianaceae), the tribe Gentianeae, and the monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With about 400 species it is considered a large genus. They are notable for their mostl ...

'' * '' Geranium dalmaticum'' (cranesbill) * ''

Globularia ''Globularia'' is a genus of about 22 species of flowering plants in the family Plantaginaceae, native to central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwest Africa and southwest Asia. They are dense low evergreen mat-forming perennials or su ...

'' * '' Iberis sempervirens'' (candytuft) * ''

Leontopodium ''Leontopodium'' is a genus of plants in the family Asteraceae. The genus is native to Europe and Asia. The fuzzy and somewhat stocky "petals" (technically, bracts) could be thought of as somewhat resembling lions' paws—hence the genus na ...

'' * ''

Phlox subulata ''Phlox subulata'' the creeping phlox, moss phlox, moss pink or mountain phlox, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polemoniaceae, native to eastern and central USA, and widely cultivated. The odor given off by the plants may be mista ...

'' * ''

Pulsatilla vulgaris ''Pulsatilla vulgaris'', the pasqueflower, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the buttercup family (biology), family (Ranunculaceae), found locally on calcareous grassland in Europe, and widely cultivated in gardens. It was considered p ...

'' (pasque flower) * ''

Primula ''Primula'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. They include the primrose ('' P. vulgaris''), a familiar wildflower of banks and verges. Other common species are '' P. auricula'' (auricula), '' P. veris'' (cow ...

'' - alpine species * ''

Ranunculus ''Ranunculus'' is a large genus of about almost 1700 to more than 1800 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots. The genus is distributed in Europe ...

'' (buttercup) * ''

Rhodanthemum hosmariense ''Rhodanthemum hosmariense'', the Moroccan daisy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. It is a bushy, prostrate sub shrub growing to tall and broad, with deeply divided silvery leave ...

'' * ''

Saxifraga ''Saxifraga'' is the largest genus in the family Saxifragaceae, containing about 465 species of holarctic perennial plants, known as saxifrages or rockfoils. The Latin word ''saxifraga'' means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin ' ("rock" or " ...

'' - alpine species * ''

Scutellaria orientalis ''Scutellaria orientalis'', also known as yellow-flowered skull cap or yellow helmet flower, is a species of alpine rhizomatous perennial belonging to the genus '' Scutellaria'', and classified under the family Lamiaceae. Description The decidu ...

'' (helmet flower) * ''

Sedum spathulifolium ''Sedum spathulifolium'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae known by the common names broadleaf stonecrop, yellow stonecrop, and spoon-leaved stonecrop. An evergreen perennial, it is native to western North America from Br ...

'' (stonecrop) * ''

Sisyrinchium ''Sisyrinchium'' is a large genus of annual to perennial flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. Native to the New World, the species are known as blue-eyed grasses and, though not true grasses and in varieties with flower colors other than blu ...

'' * ''

Thymus The thymus is a specialized primary lymphoid organ of the immune system. Within the thymus, thymus cell lymphocytes or ''T cells'' mature. T cells are critical to the adaptive immune system, where the body adapts to specific foreign invaders. ...

'' (thyme)

Botanical gardens with an alpine house or garden

;Austria *

Botanical Garden of the University of Innsbruck The Botanical Garden of the University of Innsbruck (german: Botanischer Garten der Universität Innsbruck) is a 2-hectare botanical garden operated by the University of Innsbruck. It is located in Hötting at Sternwartestraße 15, Innsbruck, Aust ...

;Belgium * Plantentuin Universiteit Gent ;China * Lijiang Alpine Botanic Garden ;France * Jardin des Plantes *

Jardin botanique alpin du Lautaret The Lautaret Alpine Garden (Jardin botanique alpin du Lautaret) (2 hectares) is an alpine botanical garden located at 2100 metres altitude in the Col du Lautaret of the Dauphiné Alps, near Villar-d'Arêne, Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ...

* Jardin botanique alpin La Jaÿsinia ;Germany * Botanischer Erlebnisgarten Altenburg *

Botanical Garden in Berlin The Berlin Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum (german: Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin) is a botanical garden in the locality of the borough of , Berlin, Germany. Constructed between 1897 and 1910 under the guidance of archi ...

* Botanischer Garten Bielefeld * Botanischer Garten Düsseldorf * Botanischer Garten Gießen * Botanischer Garten der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main *

Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg The Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg (21.20 hectares) is a botanical garden and arboretum located at Menzinger Str. 65, Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is open daily, except on 24 and 31 December; an admission fee is charged. Histo ...

Botanischer Garten Münster The Botanischer Garten Münster (4.6 hectares) is a botanical garden maintained by the University of Münster (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster). Location It is located directly behind the Prince Bishop's Castle, within the castle g ...

Botanischer Garten Marburg The Botanischer Garten Marburg (20 hectares), also known as the Neuer Botanischer Garten Marburg, is a botanical garden maintained by the University of Marburg, located on Karl-von-Frisch-Straße, Marburg, Hesse, Germany, and open daily. An adm ...

Botanischer Garten Potsdam The Botanical Garden in Potsdam (german: Botanischer Garten Potsdam or ''Botanischer Garten der Universität Potsdam''), is a botanical garden and arboretum maintained by the University of Potsdam. It has a total area of 8.5 hectares, of which 5 ...

Botanischer Garten der Ruhr-Universität Bochum The Botanischer Garten der Ruhr-Universität Bochum (13 hectares), also known as the Botanischer Garten Bochum, is a botanical garden maintained by the Ruhr University Bochum. It is located at Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum, North Rhine-Westp ...

;Italy *

Orto botanico di Padova The Orto Botanico di Padova is a botanical garden in Padua, in the northeastern part of Italy. Founded in 1545 by the Venetian Republic, it is the world's oldest academic botanical garden that is still in its original location. The garden – af ...

; Slovenia * Alpine Botanical Garden Juliana ; The Netherlands * Botanische Tuin Fort Hoofddijk * Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam ;United Kingdom *

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...

RHS Wisley RHS Garden Wisley is a garden run by the Royal Horticultural Society in Wisley, Surrey, south of London. It is one of five gardens run by the society, the others being Harlow Carr, Hyde Hall, Rosemoor, and Bridgewater (which opened on 18 May 2 ...

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction. Founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants, today it occupies ...

;United States *

Betty Ford Alpine Gardens The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens are one of the world's highest botanical garden, located at 183 Gore Creek Drive, Vail, Colorado, United States, at an altitude in the Rocky Mountains. The Gardens are open to the public year-round. The Gardens we ...

Vegetation

Botanical gardens with an alpine house or garden

See also

References

External links