Twelve selections of flora perfect for crafting a stone-based garden setting.
Creating a Stunning Rock Garden:
Want to make a cool display of small or alpine-style plants? A rock garden is your answer! All you need is some large rocks or stones, free-draining soil, and a mix of rockery plants. This set-up allows for both sun- and shade-loving plants - the sun-lovers can be placed in the foreground, while shade-lovers can hide under large rocks.
Alpine plants, native to mountainous regions, typically thrive in cold and dry conditions, which prevent them from growing too tall. However, there are plenty of other small plants perfect for rock gardens that thrive in warmer conditions. A mix of alpine and non-alpine plants creates a visually appealing display.
- Tips for Cutting and Growing Rock Garden Plants:
Check out our list of suitable plants for rock gardens below and build your beautiful rockery garden.
Pasque Flower
The Pasque flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) blooms with light purple, cup-shaped flowers that mature to a star shape above fern-like foliage. Grow it in well-drained soil in full sun.
Alternatives You Might Like:
Shore Juniper (Juniperus conferta): This low-spreading shrub forms a carpet of blue-green needles that turn bronze-green in winter. It thrives in full sun and well-drained sandy soil, creating a beautiful ground cover in rock gardens.
Pinks
Named for the serrated edge of their flower petals, Pinks (Dianthus spp.) have a clove-like scent and a variety of colors. Most varieties are small and best grown in full sun to partial shade in moist but well-drained soil.
Tips and Tricks: Lavender, another low-growing and fragrant plant, is a great addition to rock gardens, providing color and fragrance to your display.
Thyme
With many varieties to choose from, thyme (Thymus spp.) is perfect for rock gardens. It has low-growing, spreading leaves and is easily grown in well-draining soil in full sun.
Houseleeks (Sempervivum spp.)
Tough and hardy, these succulent plants look superb in rock gardens, especially alongside low evergreen plants like sedums. Grow them in well-draining soil in full sun.
Aubrieta
Popular rock garden plants, Aubrietas bloom with colorful carpets in late spring and early summer, growing well in well-draining soil in full sun.
Trailing Bellflower
Trailing Bellflower (Campanula poscharskyana) is a low-growing, spreading alpine that works well in pots and as ground cover in hot sunny corners. It bears masses of small, star-shaped, purple-blue flowers from summer to early autumn.
Saxifrage
Saxifrages are mound-forming, evergreen alpine plants with rosettes of leaves from which tall stems of flowers appear from spring to summer. Grow them in moist but well-drained soil in partial shade to full sun.
Gentian
Although tricky to grow, Gentians are worth the effort for their stunning trumpet-shaped flowers above mats of almost mossy foliage. They prefer full sun and neutral to acidic soil.
Mouse-eared Gypsophila
Mouse-eared Gypsophila (Gypsophila cerastioides) is a dwarf, semi-evergreen plant with a creeping habit and green-grey, hairy leaves. It bears masses of small white trumpet-shaped flowers in spring.
Candytuft
Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) is a low-growing plant with evergreen dark leaves and pure white flowers. It's perfect for rock gardens and loved by hoverflies.
Erodium x variabile
Related to geraniums and cranesbills, Erodium x variabile forms a dense mat of leaves and pure white flowers from May to September. Grow it in well-draining soil in full sun.
Lithodora diffusa 'Heavenly Blue'
Lithodora diffusa 'Heavenly Blue' bears gentian-like flowers in mid-summer, when few true gentians are blooming. Its slow-spreading evergreen mats of foliage make a great ground cover on rock gardens or scree. Grow it in well-drained, acidic soil in full sun.
With these plants, you can create a unique and visually appealing rock garden that thrives in well-draining soil and requires minimal maintenance. Happy planting!
Arock garden can be enhanced with a variety of plants, including the Pasque Flower, Pinks, Thyme, Houseleeks, Aubrieta, Trailing Bellflower, Saxifrage, Gentian, Mouse-eared Gypsophila, Candytuft, Erodium x variabile, and Lithodora diffusa 'Heavenly Blue'. These plants, all suitable for rock gardens, create visually appealing displays and add color and fragrance to your lifestyle, making home-and-garden gardening more enjoyable.
