10 great plants for a rockery
Look for drought-tolerant plants that hug the ground tightly, preventing weeds from taking hold in your rockery. Here are some plants that work well.
1 Pinks, dianthus (Dianthus spp.)
Flowering from spring into autumn, dianthus (top) come in many colours (white, pink, scarlet, lavender, bicolour) and some are perfumed. Low maintenance, with only deadheading required. They grow in most climates but excel where summer is dry.
30cm 60cm
2 Snow in summer (Cerastium tomentosum)
This silver groundcover spills over and around rock crevices and retaining walls. It is grown primarily for its foliage, yet blooms profusely with frothy flowers in the warmer months. It grows well in most climates that aren’t too wet in summer.
20cm up to 1m
3 Black mondo grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’)
The striking near-black foliage (second from top) contrasts strongly with other plants. It produces small pinnacles of white flowers in summer, but not in abundance. It’s perfect for lower parts of the rockery, as it can tolerate moist soil. Frost hardy.
25cm 40cm
4 Houseleek (Sempervivum tectorum)
This small, clumping succulent (centre) quickly fills any gaps to give the garden a mature look, and wraps around rocks to visually soften hard landscaping. It needs to be kept drier in summer. Frost hardy.
25cm 40cm
5 Cushion bush (Calocephalus brownii)
An Australian native with wiry, silver foliage, and small, yellow, button flowers in spring to summer. Excellent textural plant. Very drought tolerant, but dislikes high humidity.
50cm 50cm
6 Cushion bush (Scleranthus biflorus)
Australian native naturally found among rocks. Evergreen, tight, cushion-like foliage creates an amazing effect. Frost hardy.
15cm up to 1m
7 Perennial nemesia
Long-term flowers (spring to autumn) in a variety of colours. Easy-care plants that need only light deadheading, and are highly attractive to bees and butterflies. They grow best where summer is not too wet.
30cm 35cm
8 Thyme spp.
A favourite in the herb garden, thyme
(second from bottom) is happiest positioned where it can absorb heat radiating from nearby rocks. Most species have fragrant foliage that can be used in the kitchen, and all produce masses of small pink or white flowers in summer. Types include common, lemon, caraway, golden, turkey, pizza, chicken, white and pink chintz. Ideal for hot, dry locations. Drought tolerant.
10–30cm up to 1m (depending on species)
9 Rhodohypoxis spp.
Attractive to butterflies, these small, clump-forming herbaceous perennials come in a range of colours, from hot-pink to white. They like similar conditions to black mondo grass. They multiply quickly to form large, naturalistic clumps, and require no maintenance. Short-term plants in hot climates. Best suited to cool zones.
20cm 40cm
10 Dwarf spring bulbs
Small spring bulbs, including dwarf daffodils, are perfect for planting into tight spaces, where they will multiply and flower each spring. Babiana, freesia and sparaxis are good for warm climates, while dwarf narcissus, grape hyacinth (bottom) and ixia perform better in cooler, drier zones.
20–60cm 30cm