Can anyone recommend summer-flowering Alpines that die back in winter?

Can anyone recommend summer-flowering Alpines that die back in winter?

I grow a lot of Cyclamen, mostly in big pots underneath roses. Most Cyclamen flower in autumn, winter and spring, and die back in summer. For years I have been struggling to find something that can co-exist with the Cyclamen without killing them by growing over them, and flower during summer when the Cyclamen are dormant, then die back in winter to give the Cyclamen enough light. A second best is something that doesn't mind being cut back in late July onwards, to allow the Cyclamen to get enough light.

I have tried all kinds of what I thought were little flowers, only to have Cyclamen die due to being grown over by Lobelia, Chamomile, or other "small" annual flowers. Some flowers I have reached a truce with and simply cut them back when the Cyclamen hederifolium start to flower in late July and then form leaves around late August or early September. So I do have some sweet little flowers growing around the Cyclamen, but it does take work and observation to make sure they respect the Cyclamen. As far as I know, Cyclamen don't have deep roots, but I could be wrong or some species might need a deep root run unobstructed by other plants.

I don't grow any kind of bulb near the Cyclamen, as they all have messy leaves that you can't cut back for months without them not flowering in subsequent years. I only have a very few bulbs, in their own pots and away from the Cyclamen. And Cyclamen suit my garden better, not needing as much light as say Crocuses, whose flowers don't even open on dull days. I have given away a lot of bulbs that I planted, as they just don't suit my garden, due mostly to their leaves taking over, except in their own pots.

So I am looking for small pretty flowers with a high flower to leaves ratio, that are happy growing in pots around rose bushes, and sharing their space with Cyclamen. Mild climate, South coast of England, mild winters, urban heat island, relatively not much light.

 

How about an annual such as candytuft? I grew them in pots with lilies this year. Pretty flowers, small skinny leaves.

Virginia Stock is pretty too:

 

I do have a few Candytuft that come up every year, since planting some from a packet of Poundland seeds where you get about 6 different little flower seed packets for one pound. They do seem to go with my garden really well, and the pollinators like them. They just disappear in winter and come back in summer.

Yes I love Virginia Stock. I might try it. Maybe it is partly a case of just being very careful with annuals when they start to overgrow the garden, and probably cut them back in about July, or August at the latest. I have found that Alyssum can really take over and get messy, though I like it, and maybe it is a case of learning when and how much to cut it back after flowering.

I have had a bit of success with Aubretia, which flowers in late spring and looks beautiful, but it doesn't like being cut back too much and I have often lost it.

I don't know much about Alpines, and they have the advantage of not being annuals, so they are permanent and could maybe be part of a seasonal cycle.

 

Evergreen, so not what you asked for but Armeria maritima would work. Bulbs happily grow through it and it has year around interest. Also, it seems to be unkillable. Comes with red, pink or white, long lasting, flowers. There's also a purple-leaved variety (rubra), which is lovely.

 

Not sure about unkillable; I planted one the year before last and it flowered nicely, but it didn't come back this year!

 

I can't keep the white one alive, but the pink one I have has been very good this year.
I'm not sure that would suit being in with cyclamen though - they form very hefty clumps.

I don't think I'd try anything other than annuals in the situation, and they'd need cut back before being finished.
The other alternative is to simply replace the pots of cyclamen with other pots of perennials, whether alpines or anything else. Lots of bulbs would also work well - from snowdrops and crocus, to smaller daffs and even alliums if there's enough light.
Pachysandra is a useful low grower for various sites, but anything which likes semi shade would work. I have lots of saxifrages in semi shade, and Saxifraga urbium [London Pride] is good anywhere here.

 

I find the "mini" Dianthus ( D. alpina poss ? ) work quite well with the Cyclamen I grow in pots. Very small leaves which form a matt so let the Cyclamen push thru without any trouble. Altho perennial they can be short lived but easy tp propagate from seed.

 

Bloody cranesbill maybe? Geranium sanguineum. A tough, pretty little plant - easy to divide once established, to create more plants.

 

Erodium "Bishops' Form" should be ideal as well. Bulbs come up through that. Very, very long flowering seasons.

 

I have some of that. It is tough and survives my garden, but doesn't grow quickly. It co-exists perfectly with my Cyclamen. It forms a lovely ground-hugging clump and gets covered in beautiful flowers. I tried propagating it a few months ago, and thought I had lost it because a lot of it went brown, but it has survived and is growing back, and I think the propagated bit survived too. I just wish it would spread more easily, it is the opposite of invasive.

 

I think that is what I have, mine is Geranium sanguineum (I think, but not really sure what it is) grown from seed which was supposed to be variety lancastriense, but turned out purple. I had a lot of problems with geranium seeds turning out to be different from what it said on the packet, and I neglected them all after that, and maybe I was afraid that this one would turn out to be the invasive thing from some other geranium seeds I got at the same time, totally not the little plant I was expecting. Having pulled out huge invasive plants with sprawling leaves and roots and insignificantly tiny flowers that you could barely call flowers, thankfully successfully.

 

I have some Sea Thrift, Armeria maritima. I did successfully propagate a bit of the original plant, and it seems happy enough in my garden but doesn't grow very fast. It does co-exist happily with the Cyclamen.

It doesn't overgrow other plants, and it does flower a lot, and its small grassy leaves are non-invasive and nice in their own right.

 

I have tried Saxifrages a few times, and they don't seem to like my garden. There are some of one variety in a small patch, but they have been there for years without doing much, with the odd flower. I think Saxifrages might prefer somewhere sunnier and drier.

 

I am thinking of trying Campanula cochlearifolia, Fairy Thimbles. It is shown in a book I have called "Alpines" by Christopher Grey-Wilson.

It looks to be non-invasive but tough enough to cope, and hopefully spread, with plenty of flowers and not overbearing leaves.

I might even try to get the white variety, just to be different. I will probably search the garden centres and even try to get to RHS Wisley, and might see something else that I haven't even thought of. I don't fancy the online sources, huge shipping charges for a tiny plant and even for seeds. It might even be worthwhile having a quick look at Morrisons plant shop.

 

I will keep my eyes open in garden centres for that, thank you. If I make the supreme effort of getting to RHS Wisley they should have it. I think I have even seen it sold at Morrisons.

In the book "Alpines" by Christopher Grey-Wilson, he describes Dianthus alpinus as large flowers 1 to 1.5 inches across, plant height 2 to 4 inches.

I have found it is sometimes worth taking a chance on plants bought at whim in garden centres, Morrisons plant shop (especially as it is cheap) and places like RHS, even if I don't know much about them. I bought a Pineapple Sage last summer, then thought I was crazy as ideally they should be in a greenhouse or conservatory, and I took some cuttings and gave the plant to a friend. It flowered for her immediately, but both my cuttings took and they are quite architectural in their small way, and one of them is flowering outside at the moment for me, bright red flowers. I was so taken by its scent.