Whether you call them alpines or rockery plants, there's plenty to attract gardeners to these tiny varieties, says Gillian Vine.
Elizabeth Whitcombe loves alpine plants which are, she says, ''out of the mainstream''.
She and Otago Alpine Garden Group (OAGG) president Lesley Cox would like that to change, as they feel the little plants have so many attributes that gardeners who don't grow them are missing something special.
''There is no time of the year when there are not some alpines in flower [and] they vary in scale, so there are plenty of choices for the tiniest garden or they can be grown in tubs or pots,'' Lesley says.
Elizabeth adds: ''Alpines are perfect for New Zealand gardens.''
They are tough, too. Lesley has seen plants growing in Greece on solid cliffs with just hairline cracks.
Best of all, they are incredibly healthy.
''You never see mildew on alpines and rarely see bugs,'' Elizabeth comments.
Although the majority of alpines are perennials, there are some miniature bulbs, like the Spanish Narcissus hedraeanthus, which grows just 5-8cm tall, and a tiny daffodil named Susan Cox, which was bred by Lesley in her Clarendon garden.
What is an alpine plant?
''Generally anything that grows above the tree line,'' Lesley explains, ''and they come from literally all around the world''.
Given that some 11% of New Zealand could be described as alpine, it is not surprising that we have 1000 plants that thrive in the mountains, half of which grow nowhere else.
Among them are celmisias, forget-me-nots, vegetable sheep (Raoulia species) and the dwarf broom, Carmichaelia astonii.
Some peep out of cracks in rocks, others live on scree slopes and all have the ability to withstand very low temperatures.
However, despite the alpine label, not all those grown in home gardens are from mountainous regions.
In New Zealand, size tends to determine gardeners' choices.
The word rockery is often used to describe where the plants grown, an area generally raised and decorated with shapely rocks.
Gravel is sometimes used as a mulch that mimics scree slopes.
Natives are only part of the alpine picture. Popular choices for rock and gravel gardens include pink and white Rhodohypoxis, species tulips, cyclamen, smaller trilliums and fritallarias, spring-flowering pulsatillas and the European gentians, which are usually blue but may be white or pink.
There are tiny shrubs, too.
Dwarf rhododendrons are ideal for Dunedin, where the chilly winters are just what they need to ensure they grow well, and little Daphne petraea, which comes from northern Italy, is good for pot culture.
When it comes to growing alpines, they are as varied as the plant families they belong to.
''Some are ungrowable, some challenging and others relatively easy,'' Lesley says.
She says the main requirement for growing alpines is to start with a good, weed-free garden and unless you are tackling wetland species, good drainage is essential.
Tiny plants and bulbs grown in tubs love the deep root run and perfect drainage such containers provide.
The beauty of them is that, once established, they need no attention for, as Lesley says: ''The thing about alpines is you don't have to do anything.''
They sound almost too good to be true.
See them
Next weekend, the Otago Alpine Garden Group will hold its first fully competitive show, which is modelled on the New Zealand Alpine Garden Society's renowned annual event in Christchurch. The Dunedin show, running alongside the Camellia Society's show, will be held on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4 at the St Clair Women's Club Hall, Albert St, St Clair. The show is open to the public from noon until 5pm on Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday. Entry is $5, or free to those who pay the $15 membership fee. Advice on alpines will be offered by OAGG members.
As well as the competitive sections, with exhibits encompassing almost every aspect of alpine plants, there will be a display of plants grown in the Dunedin Botanic Garden's Alpine House and specialist growers selling selections of their plants.
Among the sought-after miniatures on sale will be fritillarias, snowdrops, tiny species of tulips, trilliums, cyclamen, irises and narcissi. Dwarf shrubs, including rhododendrons, will also be on sale.
