New look on the rocks

Slack Top Alpine Nursery has helped give spring a head start by supplying and planting more than 300 alpine plants for the rockery of the Yorkshire Museum Gardens in York.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Apr 2010, 15:42 BST
Updated 23rd Apr 2010, 15:42 BST

The rockery was originally created by students of Askham Bryan College in 1980. Continuing the link, the new look rockery will be also be stocked by an Askham Bryan student, as Michael Mitchell (owner of Slack Top Nursery) attended the college some 25 years ago.

The replant of the rockery will be a temporary display, prior to a much larger rockery being created to honour the famous Victorian Backhouse Nursery, which used to be in York and at one point was larger than Kew Gardens.

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Sjaak Kastelijn, garden manager, said: "We have been working closely with Slack Top Nursery, in Hebden Bridge, to come up with a brilliant range of plants that will add colour and diversity to the Museum Garden's rockery.

"It is nice to have Michael involved, because of his links to Askham Bryan, but also because he is a gold medal-winning grower of alpines with a great deal of expertise in this area.

"We hope that by working with him we can create a brilliant new look rockery for people to enjoy this summer."

Michael said: "It has been really interesting to specify plants for this project. We're looking forward to going back in June to see the rockery once the plants have got established."

YP MAG 24/4/10

Related topics:YorkKew Gardens