With a rock garden you get alpine flair right on your doorstep. We tell you here which ten plants are particularly suitable for this.
More and more garden owners are choosing to create a rock garden on their property. No wonder, after all, the rock garden is a great eye-catcher and can be individually adapted to any garden. Last but not least, the large selection of plants is also responsible for the growing popularity of stone beds: A huge variety of perennials, shrubs and flowers are available when creating rock gardens and transform the stone bed into the heart of the garden all year round. At the same time, many of these plants are even particularly easy to care for and robust. Find out below which ten plants should definitely move into your rock garden.
Plants for the rock garden: important properties
Not every plant is suitable for the rock garden. In fact, the rock garden mainly offers space for plants that are otherwise rarely found in the garden. In particular, plants that otherwise grow in high mountains, but also many Mediterranean herbs and various succulents feel particularly at home in the rock gardens. This is due to the special properties that the stone bed offers to the plants. Due to its hillside location (preferably to the south or southwest), the rock garden offers its plants a location in full sun, so that sun-loving plants in particular get their money's worth. At the same time, the good drainage in the rock garden ensures that the water can run off quickly and waterlogging rarely occurs. However, the substrate in the stone bed weathers slowly, which is why only few nutrients are available. That's why plants for the stone bed have to be able to get by with a low concentration of nutrients.
Plants for the rock garden have to withstand this:
- Must like full sun
- Have to cope with longer periods of drought
- Must go to abe adapted to relative nutrient poverty
Mediterranean herbs, alpine mountain flowers or exotic succulents? We show you which ten plants for the stone bed you should definitely not miss.
10. Gentian
Hardly any other mountain flower is as well known as the gentian (Gentiana). The intense blue coloring of the gentian was even praised, and not without reason: hardly any other plant shines with such a bright blue color as the beautiful gentian. But it doesn't only bloom in blue - depending on the variety, there are also pink, yellow, red and white flowers. The different gentian varieties also differ greatly in terms of height, for example the spring gentian (Gentiana acaulis) is only a few centimeters high, while the yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea ) can reach a height of 1.40 meters.
9. Thrift
With its enchanting flower balls, the thrift (Armeria maritima) is a real ornament in every garden. From May to June, we are enchanted by the beautiful flowers that float above the ground on slender stems. But even after flowering, the evergreen ground cover is an extremely decorative rock garden dweller. Furthermore, the robust species should not be underestimated: the thrift requires virtually no care and is even frost-resistant down to -20 °C.
8. Aloe Vera
The exotic aloe vera (Aloe vera) is very popular as a houseplant. But you don't necessarily have to banish the aloe into the house - at least they know that they can also be planted in the rock garden. In fact, the rock garden is the ideal place for the aloe vera: the good drainage prevents waterlogging and the full sun gives it the necessary warmth. In addition to its exotic flair, its abilities as a medicinal plant also make aloe vera particularly attractive. The plant can bring soothing relief, especially for sunburn and dry skin.
7. Blue Fescue
Not only flowers can look decorative in the bed - grasses can also set great accents in the rock garden. The blue fescue (Festuca glauca) in particular shows how beautiful grasses can actually be: With its intense blue-silver leaf color, the blue fescue is everythingother than boring. In addition, the blue rascal inspires with yellowish flowers in May and June, which underline its beautiful leaf color again.
Soft leaves? This is the speci alty of Wollziest (Stachys byzantina). The leaves of the fascinating plant are full of silver-grey hairs and are therefore truly flattering to the touch. In addition, the downy leaves of the Wollzieste ensure that the plant is one of the most unusual ornamental leaf plants. In summer, however, the Wollziest goes one better: Its pink-violet flowers are beautiful and make the Wollziest a real eye-catcher.
5. Thyme
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is not only perfect for the kitchen and the herb bed - the plant is also excellent for growing in the rock garden. Thyme is a real all-rounder: it is of course known for its aromatic taste and intense smell. But did you know that thyme can also be used wonderfully as a medicinal herb against cold symptoms? In addition, the shrub not only enchants the palate, but also the eyes - from June it produces beautiful purple flowers.
When most people hear pine trees, they probably think of a majestic tree. However, the dwarf pine (Pinus mugo e.g. mugo) does not quite meet these expectations: As their funny names already suggest, the varieties 'Mops' , 'Mini Mops' and 'Gnome' maximum one meter high and up to one and a half meters wide. With these manageable dimensions, they fit into almost every garden. Especially in rock gardens, the dwarf pine is a great ornament and is reminiscent of dreamy mountain regions - without taking up too much space. In addition, the tree is extremely robust and can grow and thrive for decades without much care.
3. Blue Pillow
The blue cushion (Aubrieta) transforms your rock garden into a sea of blue blossoms in spring. It impresses with a dense growth and countless intensecolored blossoms that only hint at the green of the plant. In winter, however, the evergreen foliage of the blue cushion is a real ornament, because the plant is hardy and greens the stone bed even in forestry. At the same time, it is considered to be absolutely easy to care for and uncomplicated - only a pruning from time to time can help to keep the blue cushion flowering.
The uncomplicated houseleek (Sempervivum) is an absolute beginner's plant. This robust succulent is indestructible and can be cultivated both in the bed and on the balcony and even as a houseplant. It doesn't cut a bad figure in the rock garden either. However, anyone who thinks that such an easy-care plant must be boring is wrong: the houseleek offers an amazing variety of shapes and colors with over 2000 varieties. The different rosette shapes in particular, but also the interesting leaf coloring make the houseleek an interesting eye-catcher.
1. Scented stone rich
With its many small flowers, the scented rockery (Lobularia maritima) is a great plant for the rock garden at first glance. In white, violet or pink, the flowers are a real eye-catcher and are perfect for adding colorful accents to the rock garden. But not only the eyes benefit from the beautiful plants - if you get closer, you will notice that the plant smells sweetly of honey. Nevertheless, the scented stone rich does not show any airs: It can be planted in the sun or in partial shade without any problems and needs hardly any care.
Once you have found the right plants for your rock garden, in this article we will explain how to create the rock garden.