Few can deny the alluring effect that rock gardens bring into the home. Rock gardening is simply the mixture of garden rocks and any of the many special plant species in your backyard. Some rock gardens are built in naturally rocky parts to capitalize on the natural landscape. Others are designed around one existing rock feature, or rocks may be imported to the gardens for the sole purpose of installing a rock garden. Also known as alpine gardens or rockeries, rock gardens are particularly popular in areas with limited water availability.
The tradition of rock gardening originated from Asia. In Asia, rock gardens were an important part of the Asian art, with each plant and rock being carefully placed. These gardens were often associated with monasteries and wealthy homes. During the 17th century, this practice reached Europe, and gardeners started creating their own versions.
Generally, rock gardens blend easy to grow plants with a rock arrangement of different colors, sizes and shapes. The plants can be arranged in many ways, and they are often chosen to complement the garden rocks. Plants usually do best in rock gardens if they don’t need a lot of water since rock gardens have a very good drainage, making it difficult to retain water for plants. While there are numerous plants that you can choose from, you need to pick a robust plant that thrive without much care from the gardener.
Easy to Grow Plants in a Rock Garden
Choosing easy to grow plants that will allow you to enjoy the rock gardening experience without much maintenance. Of course, you have to pick plants that are suitable for your area climate. Here are a few examples:
Marigolds
Easy-Care Annuals
There are many varieties of annual flowers that are easy to care for and produce excellent results. They include marigolds, zinnia, cosmos and dahlias. These types of flowers can be grown in nearly any kind of soil.
Peonies
Hardy Perennials
Perennials are a great choice for gardeners who want easy to grow flowers with little maintenance. For example, peonies will continue to grow year after year with minimum care; Hosta can thrive in any shady region and requires little care; and daylilies produce nice orange flowers throughout the year with little care.
Hyacinth
Bulbs
Once planted, bulbs will produce blooms every year, spreading easily to cover the spot given. Bulbs are available in many varieties, from lilies and amaryllis to tulips and hyacinth.
Azaleas
Flowering Shrubs
For the easy care shrubs, choose plant evergreens such as evergreen azaleas that produces beautiful flowers in the spring and crape myrtle that produces long-lasting white, lavender, red or pink flowers in the summer.
Carrots
Low-Maintenance Vegetables
There are also many easy to grow vegetables that you add to your garden and yield great results with minimum work, such as carrots, radishes and bush beans. These vegetables can survive in dry climates.
As much as these plants are easy to grow, they do require some care from your side. Ensure you perform regular watering, pruning and fertilization, to keep the plants healthy over your garden rocks.
