A New Alpine Garden Project in Norway

In 2027, we will begin developing a new private alpine garden in the mountains of Valdres, Norway.

The garden is a private, non-commercial project, developed purely from our interest in alpine plants and rock gardening. It is not part of a commercial nursery or horticultural business. The development of the garden will, however, be documented and shared through Plants Above Treeline.

The site covers approximately 2,900 m² and will be developed as a specialised garden for the cultivation, propagation and study of alpine plants from mountain regions around the world.

The aim is not simply to create a collection of plants, but to develop a range of carefully constructed habitats that reflect the ecological conditions in which alpine plants naturally occur. Differences in drainage, moisture, substrate, exposure and microclimate will be used to create suitable growing conditions for species with very different requirements.

The new garden will complement our existing alpine garden and give us considerably more space to experiment with specialised cultivation techniques and different types of alpine habitats.

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Creating habitats rather than flower beds

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Scree

Several areas will be developed as scree beds, using different combinations of stone, gravel and mineral substrates. These will provide the sharp drainage and cool root conditions required by many plants originating from high mountain screes and rocky slopes.

The intention is to create both relatively stable screes and more open, mobile-looking areas inspired by natural mountain landscapes.

 

Crevice beds

Crevice beds will form an important part of the garden, but they will differ from traditional crevice gardens.

Our primary aim is to meet the growing requirements of the plants rather than to create visually dominant rock formations. Closely arranged rocks will be used to form narrow, deep planting spaces where roots can penetrate between the stones, benefiting from excellent drainage near the surface while retaining more stable moisture and temperature conditions at depth.

In many areas, most of this rock structure will be hidden just below the surface of the growing medium, creating functional crevices that are largely invisible once the bed is completed. Only a smaller proportion of the rocks and crevices will emerge above ground level.

This approach allows us to use the advantages of crevice cultivation without allowing the rock structure itself to dictate the appearance of the garden. The plants and their ecological requirements remain the starting point for the design.

These beds will be particularly important for more demanding alpine species that benefit from deep, narrow root zones, sharp surface drainage and protection from excessive winter moisture.

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Streams and waterside habitats

Water will become an important feature of the new garden.

Naturalistic streams and small cascades will be created through parts of the site, providing a series of moist habitats along their margins.

These areas will allow us to grow plants associated with mountain streams, wet meadows and other permanently moist environments – including many Primula, Meconopsis, Cypripedium, Lilium and other moisture-loving alpine and woodland species.

The intention is for the streams to function as part of the growing environment rather than simply as ornamental water features.

 

Wet beds and peat-block constructions

Some of the wetter parts of the garden will be developed using peat-block constructions.

Peat blocks make it possible to create cool, moisture-retentive environments with very different conditions from the mineral screes and crevice beds elsewhere on the site.

They will provide specialised growing areas for plants requiring acidic, humus-rich and consistently moist substrates.

By combining peat, stone, flowing water and natural changes in ground level, we hope to create habitats resembling mountain seepages, stream margins and moist alpine slopes.

 

Working with the landscape

An important principle behind the project is to work with the existing landscape rather than against it.

The terrain, existing vegetation, exposed rock, changes in elevation, moisture and natural drainage will influence the design of the garden.

Rather than creating a highly formal garden, the aim is to produce a landscape in which the constructed habitats gradually become integrated with their surroundings.

Paths and stepping stones will provide access through the garden while allowing planted areas, rocks and water to remain the dominant elements of the landscape.

The result should feel less like a conventional garden and more like a series of small mountain habitats.

 

A garden for cultivation and propagation

The project is not limited to the main garden areas.

A dedicated propagation area will also be developed, including cold frames and growing beds for raising alpine plants from seed, cuttings and division.

Propagation is an important part of our interest in alpine plants, and the new area will give us more space to raise and experiment with a wider range of species.

Young plants can be observed under controlled growing conditions before being introduced into the different habitats within the garden.

This will also provide an opportunity to compare cultivation methods and substrates for plants originating from very different mountain environments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plants from mountains around the world

The garden will primarily focus on plants from alpine and subalpine regions.

Our particular interests include plants from mountain systems such as:

• the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau

• the mountains of western China

• Central Asia

• the European Alps and Carpathians

• the Caucasus

• the mountains of North and South America

• New Zealand and other southern hemisphere mountain regions

• the Scandinavian mountains

The challenge – and fascination – lies in understanding how plants that have evolved under very different mountain climates can be successfully cultivated under Norwegian conditions.

 

An evolving project

The new alpine garden will not be a finished landscape created in a single season.

Construction, planting, experimentation and adjustment will form part of an ongoing process. Some areas will undoubtedly change as we gain experience with the site and learn how individual species respond to their new growing conditions.

That process is an important part of the project.

Alpine gardening is ultimately about understanding plants and the environments from which they originate. By creating different habitats within the same garden, we hope to explore that relationship in considerably greater depth.

The first major development work will begin in summer 2027.

We will document the development of the garden here – from the first excavation and rock work to the creation of streams, screes and crevice beds, the propagation of plants and, eventually, the establishment of the different plant communities.

Follow the project as a new private alpine garden takes shape in the Norwegian mountains.