If you want to create an easy-care rock garden, perennials are a good choice when it comes to planting. However, not all species are suitable for this type of garden. Our article gives you practical tips for designing the rock garden and provides ideas for suitable perennials.

Houseleek is easy to care for and needs little water

What is a rock garden anyway?

A rock garden is a combination of stones and plants in the garden. Sloping terrain, walls and embankments offer optimal conditions. Furthermore, the location should be sunny - also because the plants that grow in a rock garden mainly come from mountains.

In short, a location on the southern, eastern or western side and on a slope is ideal. The intensity of the sun's rays is right there and the drainage, which is also essential, works best.

Planning a rock garden

  • Before planting the perennials, carefully remove any weeds. In particular, root weeds such as stinging nettles, goutweed, couch grass or bindweed must be consistently combated.
  • Waterlogging must be avoided at all costs. Give the selected area for your rock garden a drainage layer of coarse crushed stone.
  • A mixture of sand, gravel and earth forms the perfect substrate.
  • Use stones found in the area. It is advisable to use a uniform stone material in order to achieve a harmonious overall picture. Larger boulders are very appealing: you can decoratively lean taller perennials against them.
  • Speaking of perennials: Of course you have to choose plants that can cope with powerful sun and drought, or even crave it. It is also nice when the perennials provide a blaze of color well into autumn.

These perennials are suitable for a rock garden

Below is a list of perennials that are made for rock gardens:

  • Houseleek (many forms, insensitive to drought, colourful)
  • Garden Mountain Avens (lovely carpet-like mats, flowers in May and June, feathery seed pods after flowering)
  • Autumn saxifrage (brownish shiny leaves all year round, white flowers in autumn, good for shady, dry locations, for example in the entrance area)
  • Sedum (hardy and easy to care for, intense red foliage possible, flowers in white, pink or crimson)
  • Soapwort (flowers from July until late autumn, light pink, carnation-like flowers)
  • Carpet myrtle aster (tolerates drought, white flowers in September and October)
  • White stonecrop (ground cover, very thick fleshy leaves - green in summer, copper-red in autumn)
  • Thyme (various leaf variants in variegated white, green or grey)

Category:

Herbs