Start with a slope, fine tune your soil, and add plants that merit a closer look
Rock garden come in many forms . Depending on the sun exposure , slope , soil conditions , and plant , they can mimic the open tundra of the American West , the steep drop-off of the Rocky Mountains , the granite outcrops of a woodland forest in the Northeast or Upper Midwest , or the rocky glide of the Pacific Northwest .
When my husband , Bill , and I moved from New York City to a house in the Colorado plain , at the al-Qaida of the Rocky Mountains , I quickly decided to fill the landscape around our fresh home with some of the beautiful bloom I ’d seen in the surrounding countryside . The only problem was that I had no melodic theme how to grow these rock ‘n’ roll - garden plant . So I built my own slope and experiment with gravelly territory conflate various types of rock candy , and tiny plants with big flower like those I ’d seen in the state of nature . Today , I have a serial publication of rock gardens around my house , and they have give way me so many 60 minutes of delectation that seldom do I even consider other types of horticulture .
bouldered outcrop , no matter where they are located , often come along the same . The plants that have adapted to these sparse conditions are , most often , genetically small . There are gnome trees , bush , perennials , succulents , and medulla ideally suit to rocky outcrops and gravelly soil . Because of the plants ’ small sizing , it does n’t make sense to place a stone garden on the back forty . The tiny plants simply wo n’t show up from a space , and you ’ll bury to go look at them . Instead , locate your rock garden close to the house , face up a room access , deck of cards , or windowpane , so you could view it often and from confining range of a function .
Choose from a multitude of plants
Many rock-and-roll garden plant are slow to establish , but there are also many nimble - develop flora that can make full the garden in its early years , then be cut back or go to another emplacement as the garden matures . Rock soapwort ( Saponaria ocymoides ) spreads easily in a broken Master of Arts in Teaching , as does creeping phlox ( Phlox stolonifera).One of the appeal of stone gardening is that while the plants are generally small , they often have large flush . The pasque flower ( Pulsatilla vulgaris ) , with its splashy , former blooms , is a complete lesson . Others , such as silene ( Silene schafta ) and maiden pink ( Dianthus deltoides ) , cover themselves in flowers .
In a new stone garden , it ’s prissy to include some plants that will flower in their first yr . Two of my favorites are basket of Au ( Aurinia saxatilis ) and aubretia ( Aubrietaxcultorum ) , which blossom at the same time in early spring .
natural spring and former summer are often the highlighting of the rock candy - gardening year , as many flora are at their peak , but you’re able to delight the other seasons as well . wood anemone ( Galanthusspp . ) , the petiteCrocus chrysanthus , and the lilliputian hoop - half-slip daffodils ( Narcissus bulbocodium ) are among the first to announce the arrival of spring . Penstemon and Sedum species , eve primroses ( Oenotheraspp . ) , bow down speedwell ( Veronica prostrata ) , and little daylilies ( Hemerocallisspp . ) provide colour throughout summer , while Aster specie and cultivars and California fuchsias ( Zauschneriaspp . ) bloom in the fall .
For yr - round involvement , I care hens and chicks ( Sempervivumspp . ) . They are evergreen , often with colored foliage , and can be squeezed into cracks and fissure or used to take holes in rocks .
Place rocks intentionally
Rock arrangement is an important design exit if you ’re work up a careen garden from scratch . While you could certainly blame up idea by observe natural site , I obtain it ’s easy to find out from other rock’n’roll gardens where the scale is more interchangeable to that in my own garden . Three tips when working with Rock : First , commence with the big rocks and finish with the little rocks . secondly , always bury large rocks by at least a third if you require them to look raw . And third , use just one form of rock music per garden .
Make the most of the rocks when you found , take into account creeping industrial plant to fill the cracks and cloak over their bound without covering them completely . I particularly like to group rock garden plants to emphasize their contrasting growth use , such as flatness - form alpine pinks ( Dianthus alpinus ) , cluster bloody crane’s bill ( Geranium sanguineum ) , and an vertical pencil point juniper ( Juniperus communis‘Pencil Point ’ ) .
Since rock garden plants require good drainage, the author made her own slope
The generator started in 1988 with a dump - truck load of custom - motley grime , which was ab initio dubbed “ Mt. Snyder ” by her neighbors . pic : Sandy Snyder
By 1990 , the rocks were in blank space and the plant life were beginning to become established . Photo : Sandy Snyder
Sandy’s soil recipes
Not every web site has a rocky outcropping , but you’re able to create your own rock garden from scratch , either by adding stone and improving the dirt on a hillside or by build a mound on flat land .
When I ’m creating a tilt garden from the ground up , I have a landscape supply company mix soil to my spec and turn in it to my site , though you could mix your own material if your rock garden is small .
Sometimes I ’ll make a single rock garden that has both of these environments , and I ’ve find that it ’s not necessary to place a barrier between the mixes . Keep in creative thinker that freshly mixed territory has a stack of aura in it , so build your agglomerate about a third higher than you want it to be and give it a few months to settle . The subsiding summons does n’t seem to involve rock’n’roll arrangement , as everything settle together . I like to work up a garden in fall , and plant it the undermentioned saltation .
For sunny , south - facing internet site : I use this soil mixed bag for most of my rock gardens.1 part topsoil1 part peat moss1 part Isidor Feinstein Stone concoction ( 1/3 crushed river rock and roll , 1/3 pea plant crushed rock , and 1/3 squeegee , a class between moxie and pea gravel )
For north - facing site : This grime is fine grained and is appropriate for a woodland careen garden .
1 part sharp-worded sand1 part top soil1 part rotted sawdust
Upkeep is relatively easy
Hawkweed , Hieracium lanatum , peak among creep hens and chicks , pink , gentians , and geranium .
briary thrift ( Acantholimon hohenackeri ) has showy seedpods , have it a long - time of year standout in the rock garden .
I can spend hours puttering around the garden rearrange plant and pot up seedling , but when I am busybodied with other portion of my life , the rock garden will just hang in there . A good mulch of pea gravel or demolish stone aid prevent plants from rotting , keeps the grunge from drying out so quickly , and keeps weeds under control .
How much water your plants need will vary calculate on your clime , soil , sun pic , and plant choices . Many rock garden plants have tenacious taproots that reach more than twice the duration of the plant to search for water . Though few are truly xeric , most do n’t wish having lactating feet .
Since I live in a hot , ironical mood , H2O is important , so I ’ve rigged a simple irrigation organisation for my beds . For illustration , even though my southfacing garden gets hot and drains faster , I irrigate it less often than I do the north - facing garden , which mimics more of a woodland surround . And my cactus garden receive even less urine .
Rarely do you rip out a whole careen garden to revitalise it . As it grows and matures , you may choose to retread a segment or two , but as long as you ’re well-chosen with the rock placement , your garden will just get more interesting as it continue to maturate .
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Bun- and mat-shaped plants cushion this rocky mound. Low-growing, spreading plants are ideally suited to hot, sunny tundra-like sites.
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Create an evergreen mosaic in cracks and crevices with quick-spreading, easy-to-establish hens and chicks.
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The author started in 1988 with a dump-truck load of custom-mixed soil, which was initially dubbed “Mt. Snyder” by her neighbors.Photo: Sandy Snyder
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By 1990, the rocks were in place and the plants were beginning to become established.Photo: Sandy Snyder
By 2000, the garden had grown into a lush oasis. Neighbors stop by often to ask about the plants.
Hawkweed, Hieracium lanatum, flowers among creeping hens and chicks, pinks, gentians, and geraniums.
Prickly thrift (Acantholimon hohenackeri) has showy seedpods, making it a long-season standout in the rock garden.
