The rock garden is usually considered to be very easy to care for. However, this is not always correct, because the rock garden cannot do without maintenance work - the type and extent of which also depend on the selected plant species. Of course, uncomplicated plants mean less effort than alpine plants that are more complicated to cultivate. The specific care of your rock garden therefore depends primarily on the needs of your plants.
Every now and then the plants in the rock garden should be cut into shape
Control weeds regularly
Weeding accounts for most of the maintenance work. Both seed and root weeds must be removed in good time so that they cannot take root and spread too deeply. Some weeds, such as the annual meadow grass (Poa annua), form a dense network of roots that can only be removed with great effort and brute force after a while. Seed weeds such as the frequently occurring springcress (Cardamine hirsuta) must be removed in good time before flowering, as they - once shot into seed - multiply very extensively and in large numbers.
Mulch open ground with rock chippings
Seed weeds in particular develop quickly in open ground areas. A mulch layer of rock chippings is the right defensive measure in the rock garden. Use the same type of rock for mulching that you used to build the rest of the rock garden. The "stone mulch" looks particularly natural when different grain sizes from fine chippings (46.95€) to coarse gravel are used.
Water and fertilize rock garden plants
Basically, the rock garden is kept drier than a normal perennial or flower bed. In midsummer it is usually sufficient to water once or twice a week. When it comes to fertilization, you must bear in mind that most mountain plants only need a few nutrients. If possible, use a low-nitrogen fertilizer applied between April and July. After that, fertilizer is no longer used so that new shoots can reach the maturity required before winter.
Cut rock garden plants
So that the plants in the rock garden bed do not overgrow each other, they must be cut back regularly.
When to cut back?
In the case of cushion perennials such as blue cushion, goose cress and stone herb, the pruning to the desired size takes place after flowering. The cushions then have time in the summer to develop new shoots and buds for the coming year. Summer-flowering species such as carnations, bluebells and campion can also be cut back after flowering in summer or in early spring between March and early April.
tips
Mountain plants usually spend the winter under a meter-thick blanket of snow, where they are protected from the cold and wet. You should therefore protect sensitive species from frost and moisture.