Rock gardens are a beautiful technique to create a phenomenal panorama that doesn’t require immense upkeep and assets. By incorporating stone paths, a rock wall, giant or small rocks, and different stone components, you may spotlight one other side of nature in your backyard that appears stunning, and irrespective of how a lot you neglect them, rocks by no means die.
Including low, trailing, and creeping crops to your rock backyard creates a beautiful juxtaposition of exhausting and tender. The distinction of grayscale stone with lush foliage and colourful flowers provides depth and curiosity to the backyard and makes a house for these extra rugged native crops to thrive and flourish. Listed below are 19 fantastic trailing and creeping crops within the rock backyard.
Creeping Thyme
This enticing, flowering, evergreen number of thyme makes a beautiful filler between stepping stones and open areas in your rock backyard. It has a splendidly spicy aroma and may be harvested and used within the kitchen if it overgrows the house the place it’s planted.
Creeping thyme produces small, pinkish-purple flowers which are very engaging to pollinators, together with honeybees. Thyme is a pure bee miticide and helps shield native colonies in opposition to the best menace to their populations, varroa mites.
Snow-in-Summer season
This plant will get its title from the profusion of small white flowers overlaying it in early summer time. It does an awesome job of filling in gaps left by spring-blooming bulbs and in pockets between rocks. It spreads shortly underneath the suitable circumstances, each by runners and by reseeding itself.
As a perennial in zones 3-7, it is a very versatile and hardy plant. It is usually salt-tolerant and works nicely in coastal gardens. After their flowers fall, Snow-in-Summer season showcases its enticing, silvery foliage via the summer time and fall till the primary frost.
Creeping Phlox
There are a lot of several types of phlox, from very small to very tall. Creeping phlox is a stunning trailing species that seems to be nice in a rock backyard, or wherever else you want a bit of colourful floor cowl. Blooming in late spring, the pinkish-purple flowers are aromatic and enticing to pollinators.
Plant your creeping phlox within the spring after the specter of frost has handed, and watch it take off. It is a fast-grower that may be allowed to type an expansive blanket or trimmed to keep up a neat look.
Blue Rug Juniper
The bottom rising of the Junipers, blue rug is a slow-moving evergreen that may carry magnificence to the rock backyard all yr. Plant this juniper in full solar and watch because the blue-green foliage slowly rambles over your rock backyard. This plant has a really good centered and uniform progress behavior, so it’s straightforward to foretell the place it would find yourself.
In contrast to most junipers, blue rug is sort of drought-resistant. It likes dry, rocky soil and thrives on a sunny slope the place most of its genus couldn’t. The plant may be very insect and disease-resistant and is exceptionally cold-tolerant.
Golden Alyssum
This European native is an absolute delight anywhere you plant it. Golden alyssum is fast-growing and has a seed-to-bloom time of simply 60 days. Sow the seeds as quickly as the bottom thaws and revel in flowers via the spring and fall, with a pause throughout the warmth of summer time.
Golden Alyssum is very low upkeep and reseeds itself freely, so when you plant it, it would return yr after yr. The flowers are small and have a candy perfume that smells like honey. It is available in shades of pink, purple, white, and generally peach.
Blue Star Creeper
Blue star creeper is a low-growing floor cowl that works very nicely between stepping stones, within the rock backyard, and at the same time as a garden different. It stands up very nicely to foot site visitors and produces a profusion of small, blue, star-shaped flowers from spring via fall.
This plant goes dormant in winter however returns to life when the climate warms. It spreads shortly, so it ought to have borders to maintain it the place you propose. An excessive amount of nitrogen will lower the flowering behavior, so maintain off on the fertilizer with this plant.
Noticed Deadnettle
Don’t let the title idiot you. Whereas the leaves of this plant resemble these of the nettle plant, they received’t sting you in the event you contact them. Noticed deadnettle is a reasonably plant with inexperienced and white foliage that spreads nicely and solely reaches about six inches in peak.
All through many of the yr, noticed deadnettle produces fairly purple flowers that bees go loopy for. These quirky little flowers develop in clusters, with hood-shaped petals on high and a protruding lip beneath. One of many nicest issues about this plant is that it may well develop in close to full shade.
Irish Moss
Opposite to its title, Irish moss is just not a moss in any respect however relatively a member of the carnation household. It’s a hardy little plant that grows slowly and is ideal for rock gardens and stone paths. At solely about one inch tall, this plant makes a wonderful floor cowl and doesn’t thoughts a little bit of afternoon shade.
Irish moss can deal with a little bit of foot site visitors, however don’t develop this in a high traffic space. It grows nicely and shortly from seed, establishing in weeks after sowing. It’s adaptable when it comes to soil however will develop finest in loamy, fertile soil with good drainage.
Periwinkle
Periwinkle is a superb evergreen floor cowl plant that works nicely in a rock backyard. The enticing, trailing stems take root wherever they make contact with the bottom, which retains these crops skipping from place to put within the backyard.
It is a very versatile plant when it comes to publicity. It prefers partial shade, however it would develop nicely in each full solar and partial shade. The flowers are often purple, white, or blue and often bloom in spring, fade for the summer time, and are recognized to return within the fall.
Purple Rock Cress
Rock cresses make stunning borders within the rock backyard and wherever else within the yard. This member of the Brassica household is totally edible, and the beautiful purple flowers have a nice perfume.
This alpine plant can thrive in locations the place many crops can not. It might probably simply be grown on a slope and grows nicely by direct sowing the seeds in early spring. Purple flowers will bloom in mid-spring. As soon as established, purple rock cress may be very low upkeep, requiring little of the gardener.
Rock Soapwort
Though it blooms solely briefly, rock soapwort is spectacular when it’s in bloom. This beautiful semi-evergreen creeper spreads by self-seeding however is just not aggressive or invasive. It has a horny clumping behavior. It’s drought tolerant as soon as established and is chilly tolerant all the best way to Zone 2.
Rock soapwort seems to be fantastic draping over a rock wall or subsequent to a footpath, however it doesn’t tolerate a lot site visitors. Hold this plant confined to borders, because it doesn’t make a superb floor cowl.
Wooly Thyme
For a wonderful groundcover, wooly thyme is unmatched. It’s extremely resilient and releases a lovely aroma when walked upon. This one can be utilized on a stone path or within the rock backyard, even in high-traffic areas.
Wooly thyme has tender hairs throughout its fairly silvery inexperienced foliage. It’s drought-resistant, and the stems root as they meander over the bottom. It sometimes flowers however not commonly, so it isn’t sometimes planted for this function.
Aubrieta
The widespread title for aubrieta is fake rock cress, and it strongly resembles this different fantastic plant. The foliage types a pleasant dense mat that works nicely in rock gardens and partitions, alongside footpaths, and between stepping stones.
Aubrieta is a member of the mustard household and, as soon as established, wants little or no care. Bugs and deer are unlikely to hassle this plant. It may be planted in full solar or partial shade however will change into leggy if it doesn’t get sufficient mild.
Creeping Jenny
This shiny and cheerful creeper has a stunning, tender type that drapes superbly within the rock backyard, container backyard, or hanging baskets. Creeping Jenny has fairly, small yellow flowers and shiny inexperienced or chartreuse leaves, generally each on the identical plant, with the foliage deepening because it ages.
Giving this plant boundaries is a good suggestion, because it spreads shortly. In some conditions, it may be thought of invasive, however it actually makes a phenomenal panorama aspect. In order for you a spread with a much less aggressive spreading behavior, go for the golden varieties relatively than inexperienced. It’s classed as an invasive species in components of the US.
Alpine Rock Cress
Alpine rock cress is a mat-forming evergreen that performs nicely in dry, rocky soil. A local to the Mediterranean area, this plant is drought tolerant and likes lots of daylight. Infertile soil is just not a problem for this plant both.
The unfastened rosettes of leaves unfold reasonably and produce clumps of sweetly scented small, white flowers. Chopping Alpine rock cress again after it flowers will create denser foliage. This plant prefers to be undisturbed, so it doesn’t transplant nicely.
Sweet Tuft
This small subshrub is evergreen in hotter climates and deciduous in colder climates. Fluffy confections of white flowers stand out nicely in opposition to a darkish inexperienced backdrop, however these flowers don’t have a candy perfume to brag about. They really have a relatively disagreeable perfume, so this isn’t the suitable plant to develop in an outside residing house.
Regardless of their less-than-pleasing odor, candytuft flowers are fairly stunning and prolific. They arrive in pink and white and bloom closely in spring and summer time. It is a slow-grower and a long-lived perennial.
Waterhyssop
Waterhyssop is a superb groundcover and trailing plant that works nicely in lots of areas of the backyard panorama. For probably the most flowers and the least upkeep, plant this one in an space that receives solar within the morning and shade within the afternoon. If it will get solar all day, waterhyssop will probably be much less drought resistant.
Whereas it’s much less tolerant of temperature extremes, waterhyssop is fast to set flowers when it’s nicely watered and the climate is delicate. It could cease blooming in the summertime, however it would resume within the fall when the times get a bit extra temperate.
Word that that is an invasive species in components of North America. Verify along with your native extension workplace earlier than planting.
Silver Falls
Silver Falls dichondra is a favourite of mine. The stunning silver leaves develop in pairs alongside skinny, trailing vines. In a mass, this plant creates a splendidly distinctive texture and coloration within the backyard. The leaves are fan-shaped and have a shimmering high quality when the solar touches them that’s merely unequalled.
For probably the most half, Silver Falls is drought resistant, however in the event you discover it begins to wilt, relaxation assured that an intensive watering will carry it again. Its uncommon coloration and shimmery qualities make this a plant that completely performs nicely with others and appears gorgeous amongst succulents and different flowering crops.
American Wisteria
Wisteria is usually regarded as a climbing plant, however it may well additionally path if given the suitable setting. A lush vining plant spilling over a rock wall is a completely magnificent sight. American Wisteria is much less aggressive than the Asian sorts, which have been recognized to change into invasive.
Massive panicles of lavender flowers drip from the sprawling vines. These blooms scent fantastic and are exceptionally enticing to pollinators, and particularly bumble bees. The plant can develop in partial shade, however full solar will produce probably the most bountiful blooms and luxurious foliage.
Closing Ideas
Including trailing crops to your rock backyard panorama is a superb technique to create visible curiosity and soften issues up with a contact of caprice or a broad swath of lush inexperienced progress. Whether or not you wish to incorporate extra native crops in your plan or borrow from the gorgeous gardens of faraway locations, these trailing crops will carry whimsy and life to your rocky basis.