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Advice and tips on what plants would go with this rock garden.

GraysGrays Posts: 172
in Garden design
Hi all,
Im looking for some advice for what to do/plants to plant amongst these rocks in the garden?
Would it simply be a case of forcing/filling the various gaps between the stones with general compost and planting?
Would really appreciate some advice on what you would do to improve the appearance.
Thanks in advance.

Posts

  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    If you able to reposition all or some of the rocks to create more distinct planting spaces with a root depth of around 40 cm or more, you could grow a wide range of plants, depending on your soil type, aspect and location.  I have a similar area in my garden on a slope with generous planting pockets and beds.  I grow mainly ornamental grasses, lavender, euphorbia, hardy geraniums and lithodora in dry, sandy soil.  The area gets sun for most of the day.  Alternatively, some alpines will grow on very little soil and between rocks.  The most commonly used in such locations are sempervivums or houseleeks.  There are many varieties to choose, readily available in garden centres or from specialist alpine nurseries.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • robairdmacraignilrobairdmacraignil Posts: 782
    Picture makes me think of the alpine form of bell flower as being a good option.
    Happy gardening!
    https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableveg/videos
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I agree that the rocks need a bit of arranging to make them more attractive and to fill in the gaps with soil. Then go to a garden centre and have a look at alpine plants. Choose some easy to grow ones such as aubretia, phlox subulata, yellow alyssum, iberis, campanulas, and sedums.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Definitely re arrange those, and then see how much room you actually have, and whether the gaps are viable enough. A rock garden isn't the same as a bed with rocks in it - it's a completely different process.  :)
    The aspect and your climate will dictate what will suit. In very dry areas, you'd need soil rather than compost for plants unless you just use things like sempervivums.
    Lots of plants will be fine, but they'll still need good care until established.
    If you want low growing plants, Armeria [thrift ] and Ajuga will grow on virtually nothing. Saxifrages and Arabis need very little help too, but it's the prep that matters for any plant. They're all quite adaptable in terms of sun/shade too. I also grow a small  hardy geranium, and there's quite a few varieties of those. Many people grow Erigeron karvinskiensis in dry, difficult places too.
    At this time of year, cyclamen and gentians are good, but the former prefer a bit of shade, so you'd need to bear that in mind. Once happy, they'll often seed into sunnier sites though. 
    It's a good time of year to get plants in with autumnal weather making watering easier too.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • GraysGrays Posts: 172
    Fairygirl said:
    Definitely re arrange those, and then see how much room you actually have, and whether the gaps are viable enough. A rock garden isn't the same as a bed with rocks in it - it's a completely different process.  :)
    The aspect and your climate will dictate what will suit. In very dry areas, you'd need soil rather than compost for plants unless you just use things like sempervivums.
    Lots of plants will be fine, but they'll still need good care until established.
    If you want low growing plants, Armeria [thrift ] and Ajuga will grow on virtually nothing. Saxifrages and Arabis need very little help too, but it's the prep that matters for any plant. They're all quite adaptable in terms of sun/shade too. I also grow a small  hardy geranium, and there's quite a few varieties of those. Many people grow Erigeron karvinskiensis in dry, difficult places too.
    At this time of year, cyclamen and gentians are good, but the former prefer a bit of shade, so you'd need to bear that in mind. Once happy, they'll often seed into sunnier sites though. 
    It's a good time of year to get plants in with autumnal weather making watering easier too.  :)
    Many thanks for the advice.
    I understand what you mean now by a "rock garden", we inherited this from the previous occupants.
    I suppose all Im looking to do is just soften the appearance so it doesn't look as harsh.
    Right...... I will go outside and see if I can be creative with moving some about, then it's a trip to the garden centre tomorrow morning.
    Cheers.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    edited September 2023
    Lithodora is a good plant for a rock garden.  It's evergreen with bright blue flowers mainly in spring but can repeat flower like mine is doing now! One small plant can create a dense carpet of trailing cover in a pleasant dome shape once well established.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • Songbird-2Songbird-2 Posts: 2,349
    White Rock aka Snow in Summer  aka Cerastium Tomentosom would also grow nicely in a,o hat the rock...and spread around. Easy to pull out/control where you want it to go. Ours is rambling nicely up and around some rocks we have although it's finished flowering now. The silvery grey leaves are lovely and bright.
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