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Rock gardening tips for the
beginning gardener.
 One rock gardening tip to
consider is to build raised beds in the garden or even over
pavement. A raised planting bed makes working with small
plants much more comfortable, requiring less bending. The
flowers are closer to eye level, making them easier to enjoy.
Like raised beds, containers
bring the planting level above any underlying problems such as
terrible soil or poor drainage. Raised beds allow a wide range of
designs, including small, intimate plantings that combine with and
unify townhouse garden spaces.
Rock Gardening tips on Soil.
Since the topsoil for your rock
garden will be imported, you have complete control over soil
conditions. You can plant dwarf annuals, perennials and shrubs for
varied climates, as well as succulent plants like hens and chicks,
saxifrages, campanulas, dwarf rhododendrons and conifers, dianthus,
rock cress, alpine poppies and dwarf bulbs.
Rock Gardening Tips on Planting.
To plant, dig a hole
between the rocks, stuffs the hole with a potting mix made
up of compost, pine bark, sand and a slow-release fertilizer
and positions the plant in the hole.
Spread the roots out a bit, if necessary, and pack in more
potting soil around the plant.
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Some larger plants may also be
divided to fit into tight crevices. A few choice plants will even
grow in small holes drilled into certain types of soft stone.T
he many plants used in Rock gardening are aided through the practice
of organic gardening by enriching the soil
Rock Gardening Tips on Care.
Once they're planted, rock
gardens are almost carefree. They will need to be weeded, and be
sure not to over water, most rock-garden plants prefer to be on the
dry side. For serious gardeners - whether older or younger - it can
be very rewarding to use the available space and time for growing
challenging and unusual plants.
Rock Gardening Tips on choosing
plants as a good starting point
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Arabis
(rock cress): Mat-
or cushion-forming foliage; plentiful white, pink to pink-purple
flowers in early spring
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Aubrieta
(rock cress):
White, rose, purple flowers in spring; cushion-forming; cut back
after flowering to maintain compact shape
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Campanula
(bellflowers):
Many suitable types: C. portenschlagiana (Dalmatian
bellflower), neat mounding habit; abundant bluish-purple flowers
in mid- to late summer; C. poscharskyana(Serbian
bellflower), fast-spreading trailing habit; star-shaped lavender
flowers in late spring/early summer; C. carpatica
(Carpathian bellflower), low growing, blue or white flowers in
spring through summer
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Dianthus
(pinks)
D. deltoides (Maiden pink) is a mat-forming perennial
that is among the easiest alpines for beginners; has a profusion
of single flowers in late spring/early summer; pink-, white- or
red-flowered varieties available.
D. gratianopolitanus (Cheddar pink) D.
gratianopolitanus (Cheddar pink) blooms in early summer with
spicy, fragrant rose pink single flowers
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Geranium
(cranesbill or
hardy geranium)
G. cinereum, low-spreading type with lobed leaves and
saucer-shaped spring-blooming flowers in pink, lilac and
magenta; G. dalmaticum has shell-pink flowers in late
spring/early summer
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Penstemon
(beardtongue)
Native to North America; irregular-shaped flowers with tubular
upper and lower lips; dislikes excessive heat and humidity; try
P. barbatus 'Elfin pink' or P. hirsutus 'Pygmaeus',
which has lilac flowers
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Creeping Pholox
(Phlox subulata)
Popular, easy-to-grow rock garden plant; blooms several weeks in
spring; pink, white, blue, magenta flowers cover mounds of
needlelike foliage; shear after flowering to maintain compact
form
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Pulsatilla
(pasque
flower) Showy in
early spring; finely dissected fernlike leaves; silky bell- or
cup-shaped flowers in lavender or purple
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Saxifraga
(Saxifrage)
No rock garden is complete without saxifrages; native to
mountainous northern hemisphere regions; choose from a vast
array; most are mat- or cushion-forming; immense variety of
habit and flowering
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