What is a crevice bed? It is quite simple; stones such as those one might usually use in a rock garden are placed vertically and close together, thereby creating deep vertical crevices into which plant roots can grow and find the cool and moist conditions they require.

To achieve alpine plants’ requirements for good drainage, The Crevice Bed is built on a base of sand. All the stones are orientated East-West, thereby providing excellent possibilities for ideal planting-positions for different species with respect to temperature and sun/shade. Plantings in The Crevice Bed are divided up geographically, with small signs indicating the different regions of the world.

The Crevice Bed at Bangsbo was created I cooperation with Zdenék Zvolanék from The Czech Republic, who is one of the world’s leading experts in this style of rock garden. Zdenék, and Joyce Carruthers from Canada, together with volunteer members of The Friends of the Garden and contractors from Bangsminde Maskinstation, started work on the crevice bed on the 11th of May 2009. Zdenék and Joyce worked in the garden for two weeks, after which the garden’s own staff and volunteers finished the project.

200 tons of limestone have been used to build The Crevice Bed, imported from a quarry near the little town of Marktrodach in southern Germany.

Zdenék has subsequently returned to Bangsbo on several occasions and helped plant many of the circa 3,500 plants that now grow in this large alpine garden.