The Alpine Garden Society headquarters are at Pershore, Worcestershire. It is an "International Society for the cultivation, conservation and exploration of alpine and rock garden plants, small hardy herbaceous plants, hardy and half-hardy bulbs, hardy ferns and small shrubs". It publishes a quarterly journal, now titled The Alpine Gardener for those with less experience or time and enthusiasts. What is an alpine plant? An Alpine is a plant that occurs in the region above the tree line and below permanent snow in mountainous regions. Within temperate and boreal regions, the alpine zone can be subdivided into three zones, each with characteristic vegetation types: Lower alpine, with bush and tall herb communities; Middle alpine, in which sedges, grasses and heath species dominate; and, Upper alpine, with dwarf herbaceous, prostrate woody plants, lichens and mosses. The zonation in tropical and sub-tropical mountains differs significantly and the plants of these zones tend to fall without the domain of interest of AGS members. As a result of this quite natural expansion of enthusiasm, the AGS has steadily expanded its domain of interest to include "small hardy herbaceous plants, hardy and half-hardy bulbs (more strictly geophytes), hardy ferns and small shrubs". This in turn has led to a long-term debate about whether or not the AGS should change its name to reflect its evolution into a society with very catholic interests. Nevertheless, alpine plants sensu stricto remain a core and common interest to the members of the society, and so are central to its identity. The AGS Encyclopaedia of Alpines and Other Hardy Plants The AGS first published its Encyclopaedia of Alpines in 1993. This two-volume work became a standard reference, defining the domain of interest for AGS members. This work was later available online as The AGS Encyclopaedia of Alpines and Other Hardy Plants. This online work is freely available. The Society maintains editorial control of the Encyclopaedia. Plant shows The AGS organises shows for Alpine and Rock Garden plants at a range of venues in England, Wales and Ireland. These take place throughout the year, particularly during February to May. The shows include plant fairs where plants are for sale. Exhibiting at these shows is a specialised activity because the plants need to be grown in pots or other containers, which can be a more time-consuming activity than growing plants in the open garden. The AGS has been running an online plant show