Indeed, he s trying just that. Dozens of concrete troughs are filled with unusual varieties of diminutive plants. Rare columbines that people can t grow anywhere else can do well here. Rain in the winter can be fatal to these plants, while snow is fine. Alpines don t require a lot of water because the alpine environment is, in effect, a desert.
Alpine life is harsh.
These dwarfed plants are stunted naturally to prevent wind or hail damage, to conserve water. Perhaps it s Rosa woodsii, a delicate Colorado mountain rose, or a tiny phlox found on Loveland pass. Their taller brethren live elsewhere. It s a pursuit that attracts unbridled individualists. Rather than the lush, brilliant pairings of color in a perennial garden, rock gardeners revel in the architecture of rocks and foliage.