We have tried to prepare the garden with beds and soil conditions which make it possible to grow alpine and other rock garden plants. When it comes to alpine plants, it takes perfect drainage, plenty of light and snow cover during winter. They need plenty of water during spring but do not take standing water. It is impossible to live up to those conditions under Danish conditions so we must make do with adapting the growth conditions to the plants’ needs as much as possible.
The garden is situated in an area with very heavy soil containing a lot of clay which has made it necessary to add large amounts of sand in order to make the soil suitable for growing plants. Various rock gardens have been prepared with different soil mixtures and some are pure sand. This makes it possible to place the plants in different positions with regards to soil conditioners, light intake and rocks. Quite often, it is an advantage being able to plant on the north side of a rock so that the plants will receive light while having their roots protected against the heat.
Except for the beds by the greenhouse, the garden is completely flat. Therefore, we have added soil and sand to create differences in levels while building the rockeries. This enables perfect drainage in the beds. The rocks are granite from Bornholm, sandstone from Nexø and edged fieldstones.
In order to create variation and add more life to the rockeries during fall and winter, we have planted many small conifers (e.g. Pinus, Abies and Juniperus) and many other dwarf trees and bushes. Hedges of yew and boxwood and granite pathways with Cotula minima create the borders and divide the garden into smaller spaces.
