Kosár
The word 'alpine' is used to describe plants of garden value which belong to this vast group of low dwarf, or slow-growing plants, but which do not all originate from the Alps. The majority are very adaptable and Alan Bloom's alphabetical list of re commendations is made up almost entirely of alpines which are reliable in widely varying situations, but which are also winter-hardy and perennial.
The cultivation of alpine plants is a relatively new practice, arising chiefly from the explorations of the past two hundred years. Explorers, who were often also botanists, brought back large collections of newly discovered plants. Because so many were found growing among rocks, the practice of planting them in rock gardens became commonplace. But, as this book emphasises, an artificially made rock garden is not necessarily the only or the best situation in which to grow alpines - and one of Alan Bloom's main objectives is to describe the various ways in which alpines can be grown to their best advantage with the minimum of trouble.
