Choosing the Best Plants for a Rock Wall Garden

Rock walls can provide unique opportunities for gardening. The nooks and crannies between stones allow places to tuck small plants, creating a living tapestry. With the right plant choices, a formerly barren rock wall can be transformed into a beautiful vertical garden.

Not all plants will thrive in a rock wall’s harsh environment however. The restricted soil drought conditions, and exposure require plants adapted to these challenges. Selecting rugged, low-maintenance plants tailored to rock wall conditions is key to success.

Here are some top picks for plants that can flourish in a rock wall garden

Hardy Succulents

Succulents are the quintessential rock wall plant. Their ability to store water in fleshy leaves allows them to tolerate drought. Look for these hardy varieties:

• Sedum or stonecrop – Easy to grow, low spreading types work well. Upright sedums may get too large.

• Sempervivum or hens and chicks – Grows in tight, low rosettes perfect for wedging between rocks.

• Jovibarba – This sedum relative thrives in crevices. ‘Wine Red’ has striking burgundy foliage.

Alpine Plants

Hailing from high elevation regions, alpine plants are cold hardy and adapted to rocky soils. These compact growers are ideal for rock wall gardens:

• Aubrieta or rock cress – Mounds of purple, red, or white spring flowers. Prefers partial shade.

• Alyssum – The yellow blossoms of alyssum cascade nicely over wall edges. Needs full sun.

• Dianthus – Evergreen with flowers in shades of pink, red and white. Must have good drainage.

• Creeping phlox – Dense mats of creeping phlox bloom prolifically. Does well in sun or shade.

Ornamental Grasses

Grasses help soften the stark look of stone with their fine, mounding foliage. Try these for rock walls:

• Blue fescue – Clumping cool-season grass with blue-gray foliage. Grows 6-12 inches tall.

• Hakonechloa or Japanese forest grass – Shade loving grass with bamboo-like leaves. Tolerates some sun.

• Carex – Many Carex sedge varieties work well, including ‘Ice Dance’ and ‘Evergold’.

• Muhlenbergia capillaris – Pink flowers float above thin green leaves on this small native grass.

Vines and Groundcovers

Trailing plants are ideal for cascading over the edges of rock walls. Consider these tough vines and groundcovers:

• Sedum spurium – Low, spreading sedum grows quickly to blanket wall crevices.

• Creeping Jenny – Rapid spreader with round chartreuse leaves. Grows in sun or shade.

• Thymus serpyllum – Creeping thyme stays short, blooms heavily, and forms dense mats.

• Campanula poscharskyana – Trailing bellflower displays blue starry blooms through summer.

Mosses

For a lush, aged look, allow mosses to naturally colonize the shady, moist areas of your rock wall. Or transplant small starter patches. Favorites include:

• Haircap moss
• Cushion moss
• Rock cap moss
• Common feather moss

Mosses will grow best on natural stone like sandstone rather than mortared walls which are too alkaline. Spruce up existing mosses by mixing in a bit of yogurt or buttermilk.

Design and Care Tips

Follow these tips to create and maintain a thriving rock wall garden:

• Amend planting pockets with rich potting soil. Avoid standard garden soils which can be too heavy.

• Plant densely to cover the wall quickly. Start new plants from plugs rather than seeds.

• Use cascading and trailing plants along the top edges and taller types toward the base.

• Water regularly until plants establish, then water during droughts. Use drip irrigation or hand watering.

• Pull any weeds that take root in crevices to prevent them from taking over.

• Cut back leggy growth and trim any plants outgrowing their space annually.

• Refill planting pockets with fresh soil and replant any bare spots to maintain a lush look.

With minimal care, the right plants will flourish in a rock wall’s unique growing environment. You’ll be rewarded with a vertical garden that softens hard stone and adds year-round color and texture. A living rock wall infused with plants transforms an otherwise mundane landscape feature into a beautiful backdrop.

List of entities and frequencies:

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