General Alpines

Buds visible on Smelowskia calycina and Primula scotica:

Lupinus lepidus var. utahensis... not a current photo, needless to say ;-) :

So, again I ask, what's the secret to getting these through more than a year or two of existence?  Any breakthroughs yet?

It's been very dry here (little rain in June and none to speak of in July) and often hot, so things a looking a bit dreary, and we are having to water.  A rather challenging season, as the ants seem to sense the plants I value most and start building their tunnels under them... will have to start over with Eritrichium howardii, and the little fiends have infested a couple troughs.  Up until this year, it seemed we could co-exist pretty peaceably.

Not much excitement in the rock garden...

A few repeats and some new ones...

Saxifraga x longifolia; Saponaria lutea; Arenaria grandiflora:

I just realized it's June (how'd that happen?) so I've split this off from the May thread.

Phlox hendersonii (x2); Draba rigida:

can any members help by suggesting good alpines for seep zones? i was told that campanula excisa is a good one to consider!

I've got lots of these, grown from seed this winter... any opinions on whether they really are Androsace spinulifera?  

I recall from this post that Androsace spinulifera takes on its spiny appearance with the winter resting buds:

So if April showers bring May flowers, what do May snowstorms bring... other than gnashing of teeth?  That's the weather forecast for the weekend here, though it's been lovely since Tuesday.  

The Aquilegia jonesii seedlings (a potful) I bought last spring from Beaver Creek are coming up nicely... what teensy leaves!