Welcome on Ghislaine and Alain DENIS ‘web site. Our enthusiasm for plants has lead us to create our own site to try sharing and transmitting our passion which brings us so much happiness. This site is our first one. Of course, it will regularly updated to become richer with new plants pictures and photos from our travels.
Since 1983, we live in a house on a
garden of about 800 square meters in 
Vert Le Grand, a small village of 2000
inhabitants at 35km in the south of Paris. Our garden is composed of a
small pond, of several rock gardens of a whole surface of 60 square meters
and raised beds of about 35 square meters. Some troughs also receive some
rarities. Finally, a greenhouse of 10 square meters is backed on the north side
of the house and allows protecting the seedlings (about 400 pots each year) of
seeds received from alpine garden societies of which I am a member and from
specialized nurseries.
I am a member of the following societies :
- SAJA (the French Alpine Garden Society) Paris – France.
- AGS (Alpine Garden Society) Pershore (UK)
- AGC-BC (the Alpine Garden Club of British Columbia) Vancouver – Canada.
- SRGC (The Scottish Rock Garden Club) Edinburgh – Scottlan
- NARGS (The North American Rock Garden Society) Millwood – USA.
- SFIB (The French Iris and Bulbs Society)
Except some plants the hardiness of which is not established, that are cultivated in the alpine house, all other plants that is to say about 1000 species, sub-species and cultivars are growing in the open. Most of them have endured the high temperatures of the years 2003, 2004 and 2006 in full sun without any screen (39° C in the shade, but there was no shade!).
Our region has a continental climate with a ‘theoretical’ oceanic influence. In fact, summers are hot and dry and winters are rainy and freezing less and less. Since a few years, temperatures are higher all year long with rain and snow in winter, rainy but warmer springs, very hot and dry summers and milder falls.
You can admire all these plants in the page « my rockeries » which consists of photo galleries. An article entitled « the alpine flora » will probably enable you to understand my enthusiasm for those plants. Under the heading « travels » you will only find at the moment one article on dolomites’ but it should enrich in the future with articles on our favorite destinations such as : U.S.A., New-Zealand and Tasmania, chilean and argentinean Patagonia, China, Turkey, west of Canada, Buthan and other countries. My prefered links will connect you to the most beautiful and interesting sites and namely to the SAJA web site (the French Alpine Garden Society) in Paris which has enabled me to progress in the knowledge of mountain plants for 17 years. Finally, you will also have the opportunity to contact us to give us your feeling on our site and its content. Please do not hesitate to advise us of possible plants misidentifications.
Have much pleasure on our site !
Alain & Ghislaine
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