Best alpine plants: 14 types for borders, pots and rockeries

When you think of alpine plants, it might seem like a niche horticultural club, requiring lots of expertise and specialist composts. Certainly, you’ll find a few specimens at botanical gardens, displayed as scaled-down versions of alpine landscapes in dedicated glasshouses. 

But this doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy alpine plants in your garden. These petite beauties frequently offer tiny jewel-like flowers and shiny, sometimes succulent foliage. But don’t go thinking they are fragile – many are tough and hardy, originating in rocky and mountainous conditions, often at high altitudes and exposed sites with extreme temperatures and little water. 

It’s these challenging growing conditions that make alpine plants a great choice for the garden. Whether you are looking for unusual container displays, something to fill a gap at the front of a border or soften the edges of a path or raised bed, or perhaps you want to try a drought tolerant scheme, or a green roof, there are alpines to suit. 

Not only are alpines considered to be some of the best plants for rockeries, many of them are also particularly good at growing in cracks in walls and paving and might even appear uninvited, if you’re lucky. They are also great for pollinators too, so be sure to add them to your wildlife corner. 

Once they are established, these small and sturdy stunners need little work to maintain – and will reward you with years of uplifting flowers and foliage.  

 By Camilla Phelps 

Elizabeth Whiting Associates / Alamy