Topic: Help needed with rock garden

[Laney]

I would really appreciate some tips and ideas for plants.  I'm not a flower person at all, and only last year started growing veg so am a complete novice.   ???

I finished digging my new bed for my sweetcorn yesterday and now have a mound of earth at the end of my garden.  I would really like to turn it into a rock garden of sorts.  I want to grow a few herbs in there like Thyme, Sage, Rosemary etc, but also really like the look of grasses and alpine plants.  I'm hoping to plant some wildflower mix(no idea what's in it!) and cornflowers down that end too, maybe to the left of the rock garden.  I'm nipping to the local cocklesheds tomorrow to get some crushed shells to use instead of gravel. 
My garden is south facing, and that particular side of the garden faces east so gets the sunrise.

What grasses and plants would you recommend?   It's all so overwhelming that I know I'll go to the garden centre and buy all the wrong stuff!

[Palustris]

There are no grasses which I would recommend for a Rock garden. Everyone we have ever tried has been invasive, even the blue ones!
Unless  the area is very large, once you have put in a variety of thymes (in the sunniest, driest spot), then there would not be too much room left.
Sage and Rosemary do get quite large so are better to one side rather than in the mound itself.
Otherwise go for beginner plants like Campanula cochlearifolia, Phlox subulata forms, Phlox douglassii forms (may not be called either subulata or douglassii, but things like Apple Blossom or Oakington Blue eyes. There are dozens of named ones. Read the labels, it says Alpine Phlox somewhere on them!). If one side is shadier then try some mossy Saxifrages. Easy to see which ones, they do look like moss!
Also try Satureja montana (Winter Savory, lovely herb!)
Dwarf bulbs would do well too, species crocus, chionodoxa, Scilla sibirica. and lots of others too.
Have fun.

[froglets]

You could add some of the auricula family, primroses primula and the like for early colour & they would be fine in any soil really as long as it's not heavy.  They will appreciate not being in full sun all day and come in anything from not in the least fussy to really picky, but don't worry, you have to go to a specialist to find the really picky ones.


Small ferns look good ( sorry can't think of any types, but labels should say ( heart's tongue,  possibly) Dwarf iris bulbs, I have a thing for Rhodohypoxis ( google for a picture)  Again unless you go to a specialist you won't get any named varieties.  I'd say to avoid oxalis & the ones related to clover ( the leaves are a dead give away) which are often sold in garden centres as they can be invasive.


The Alpine Garden Society may be a bit too specialist for what I think you are looking for but if you get the bug, their website is at http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/

Cheers

[quizzical1]

Have a look here

http://achalmers-quizzical1.blogspot.com/

and see this thread

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,28/topic,28874.0

[Rohaise]

Hallo Laney , I am hopelessly addicted to sempervivums  :)  . look them up on the internet and make some room for them .    They are so easy to manage  ,change colour throughout the year and are beautiful even when not in flower. AND they have have lots of beautiful babies    AND  you dont need to worry about watering them ,they dont mind drought .     :)      They are commonly known as  "Hens and Chickens "  !    So sweet !
                                   All the best    Rohaise  x

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'm rather a fan of saxifrages myself. Loads of nice species.

[Laney]

Thanks for all your help!  I only had a few pennies to spend today(have to wait for payday in 3 weeks time to get the rest) but I managed to get;

Sempervivum
Saxifrage
Erodium
Aubrieta
Campanula
Oxalis adenophylla
Muscari

Rohaise, I remember my Grandad giving me a Sempervivum as a child and I got loads of babies off it.  I like the really tightly packed ones, but I got a loose leafed one today.  I'll save that for my next shopping trip!

I've sown some herbs today too(too expensive to buy at £4.99!!). :o

[Palustris]

If you want Semps, don't buy, drop me a PM and I will send you a few dozen!.
Don't plant the Muscari on your Rock garden though. You will spend many years trying to get them out and the will choke everything else to death!

[Laney]

If you want Semps, don't buy, drop me a PM and I will send you a few dozen!.
Don't plant the Muscari on your Rock garden though. You will spend many years trying to get them out and the will choke everything else to death!

Oooohh...that would be lovely!  I'll PM now. :)

If I sink the pot that the muscari are in below ground, would that contain them?  Or am I talking out of my ar*e? ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

You can contain most things that way.