Stone me! Rockeries are having a revival

THEY were the height of fashion 50 years ago, and now rockeries seem to be making a comeback – thanks to social media.

Garden centres are reporting soaring sales of stones and alpine plants.

And experts say rockeries are proving a hit with the younger generation because they look good on photo-sharing websites such as Instagram.

Wyevale garden centres are now reporting an 18 per cent jump in sales of rockery stones, with Cotswold stone the most popular. Dobbies garden centres have seen sales of alpine plants up almost 13 per cent from five years ago. Rockeries have also been championed by Gardener’s World presenter Monty Don, who writes for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine.

The TV star has said the garden features are not easy to create, but can be ‘good fun’, advising people to face their rockery south or west for maximum light and to keep them clear of overhanging trees.

David Mitchell, buying manager for horticulture at Wyevale, said: ‘ Rock gardens are very photogenic and great for Instagramming and as backdrops for social media pictures.’

The garden centre chain said light rocks, ornamental moss and aubretias were popular for planting in rockeries, along with Daisy’s White conifers and slow-growing monkey puzzle trees.

Guy Barter, chief horticulturalist at the Royal Horticultural Society, said: ‘ Traditional rockeries were very popular in Britain in the 50s and 60s but there has been a bit of a comeback.

‘Small versions of plants have a cuteness factor and they are also usually much easier to grow. The rockery is a good way to use a smaller space when gardens are, on the whole, smaller than in the past.’