In many mountainous areas, depending on which side of the mountain range you are, you can have moist or dry climates. But cooler weather in general is in common to both. There are alpine succulents, like Delosperma, Orostachys and Sempervivum species along with cacti like Escobaria, Echinocereus and Pediocactus species. There may be some sedum species native to your area. Of course the other common climatic factor for all alpines is dry air, and windy. But most Penstemon and Agastache species will do well in dry, poor soil, and relatively hot climates.

rofl... how do I get my rocks? I stick a pitch fork into the ground, and toss anything that sticks into a checken-wire sieve. 'gravel' is anything smaller than the palm of my hand, and that gets dumped in a pile for the paths. small rocks get piled to the left until I hit a bigger rock...then I pry the rock out, and add it to the wall. after you do this half a dozen times, you have a depression in the dirt. I add a coffee can full of worm castings and finished compost, a coffee can or three of water, stick a plant in the depression, and backfill the hole... oh, no, wait- that's how I prepare the garden beds ;) the rocks around here outnumber the insects.

This is a really fun thread. I like to see what everyone has in their garden and how thoughtful about art and creative you all are. I often think I'm going to "make" some garden art but then never get around to it. I don't decorate the garden with a whole lot of art. I have a few decorative stakes and then a few glazed birdbaths and some copper sprinklers that I use more for decoration than watering. My mom has a very cute piece of garden art. The story behind it is that we were at Hever Castle in England and they were selling all kinds of cement statues. We fell in love with so many of them. My mom couldn't part with this guy. Hever Castle was down a hill so we had to hike back up the hill, carry him on the rest of our tour and then carry him home on the plane. He weighed between 30-35 pounds so it was like carrying a little person around. He was well worth it though!

Hello to everyone, Paul, thankyou so much for your time and effort!!! It was great to meet you in person. You definetly have talent w/ photos also. It is not easy to capture "gardens" in bright light. Invitation: I will be around over the weekend 10:00-7:00, Sunday 10:00-2:30ish, should anyone want to venture out. A chance to view many new and rare varieties. Located 25 minutes from the Wisconsin-Minnesota border. The nursery is also impressive for size, selection, and age. There are no schedules here so come relax and enjoy. Rock Landscape & Gardens Inc. 1054 240th St. Baldwin, Wi. 54002 rocklandscaping@baldwin-telecom.net