When it comes to having a beautiful garden, have you had any ideas that come to your mind? Maybe is lush green grass, colorful flower beds, big shade trees, fruit trees, or dwarf bushes, right? Surely most people will imagine these images but they are not the only option, your garden will be more diverse than that.
And in the post today, we want to mention a rock garden and share the 13 best plants that can make a beautiful and vivid rock garden. The reason they are collected here, apart from they not only have beautiful that everyone loves but also they are easy to grow in low-maintenance conditions from the gardeners. So, if you are planning to have a rock garden, these plants are the best candidates to grow. Save and grow some and then enjoy what the beauty of these plants brings.
#1 Yearlong Beauty
This plant is one of the best choices for your rock garden with purple flowers that blooms in a long time. It also is drought-tolerant and shallow-rooted so you don’t have to take care of it too much.
#2 Columbine
Columbine comes in a variety of colors and attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. This wispy wildflower is drought-tolerant. Cut it back in the fall, and watch for volunteer seedlings in spring.
#3 Red Creeping Thyme
Any rock garden comes to life with the addition of a lush ground cover, and red creeping thyme. It is known for its ability to endure poor soil conditions. Red creeping thyme, with its delicate greenery and fragrant pink blooms.
#4 Hens and Chicks
This succulent grows best in full sun to partial shade, and while it’s suitable as a ground cover, it requires ample drainage.
#5 Cranesbill Geranium
Hardy geraniums require little maintenance. A placement in full sun results in high-yield flowering. Magenta flowers pop against the geranium’s green, textured foliage, and the blooms bob and sway, mingling with neighboring plants.
#6 Blue Fescue Grass
Ornamental grass adds dimension and fullness to a rock garden, and blue fescue is an ideal choice. Its bluish-green color stands out among perennials or makes a decorative splash among stones and boulders. It prefers full sun but can handle some shade and is best suited for soil with medium to low moisture and can handle mild frost.
#7 Snow-in-Summer
If you want to add little whimsy to your rock garden, snow-in-summer is a great choice for adding beauty along retaining walls or among rock structures, and because it’s self-seeding. Drought-tolerant, it requires full sun and good drainage for optimal growth.
#8 Rock Garden Mugo Pine
Rock garden mugo pine is a dwarf evergreen shrub that will grow as large as two feet in height and three feet in diameter. This slow-growing plant holds its rich, green color during the winter months and requires minimal pruning. Preferring full sun and well-draining soil, it makes an ideal foundation shrub.
#9 Lavender
Lavender is a garden classic. Suited for hot weather and poor soil, it’s ideal for rocky landscapes. It grows well on its own or when grown in combination with other shrubs and ornamental grasses. Lavender requires full sun and medium to dry well-draining soil.
#10 Purple Fountain Grass
This ornamental grass grows three to five feet tall and thrives in full sun and medium- to low-moisture soil. Its vase-like shape appears to explode with long, thin, green leaves, crowned with bottlebrush plumes that transition from purple to tan in early fall.