Gravel

[Good Gourd 2]

My back garden is gravel and slabs, due to the fact that it is very small and we have a dog that would dig soil up. Are there any plants that I could grow  in the gravel.  I do use lots of pots but some plants would be nice in the gravel. Any suggestions, please.

[Good Gourd 2]

[gardenqueen]

You haven't said what's under the gravel! Is it on a bed of soil, hardcore, liner, or concrete?

[daisymay]

we have gravel in our front garden with black membrane underneath it and concrete under that. A huge lavender we have in the bed self seeds in it and grows very well (I am creating a lavender hedge in the back garden and the gravel in the front has become a bit of a nursery bed for it!)

Not sure whether this is luck or not!

[gardenqueen]

One plant that comes to mind is Ajuga which has attractive bronze coloured leaves and blue flowers. Shallow routing and will slowly creep into the gravel. There is obviously a certain amount of silt that will have accumulated under the gravel, hence the lavender seedlings thriving, and any residue water must be running off.

[Tulipa]

We have a gravel drive with compacted scalpings underneath and Aubretia from the rockery is always growing in it, I too use it as a nursery for these.  Aquilegia and hardy geranium also self seed and grow in it.

T.

[GrannieAnnie]

Portulaca seeds in our gravel paths. Also wild daisies and buddliea which I can't spell (butterfly bush). and creeping thyme.

[hopalong]

I'm developing a gravel garden for plants that like warm, dry conditions, so I'm interested to see people's thoughts on this. I put gravel on top of a weed suppressing membrane.  So far I have a canna lily growing very well through it all, overwintering and flowering beautifully, some sedum spectabile around the edges, sempervivums and oriental poppies. I'd like to add rock rose, lavender and perhaps some alchemilla mollis and globe thistle (V.etch's Blue). A dark green leaved - silver spotted - pulmonaria (lungwort) has also spread itself onto the gravel.

[GrannieAnnie]

I'm developing a gravel garden for plants that like warm, dry conditions, so I'm interested to see people's thoughts on this. I put gravel on top of a weed suppressing membrane.  So far I have a canna lily growing very well through it all, overwintering and flowering beautifully, some sedum spectabile around the edges, sempervivums and oriental poppies. I'd like to add rock rose, lavender and perhaps some alchemilla mollis and globe thistle (V.etch's Blue). A dark green leaved - silver spotted - pulmonaria (lungwort) has also spread itself onto the gravel.

That sounds lovely, hopalong. Any chance of a picture? You must have a mild winter to get cannas  to survive. It sounds like a very interesting mixture. It never would have occurred to me to add pulmonaria.

[betula]

If you google scree beds you will get lots of ideas. :)

[hopalong]

I'm developing a gravel garden for plants that like warm, dry conditions, so I'm interested to see people's thoughts on this. I put gravel on top of a weed suppressing membrane.  So far I have a canna lily growing very well through it all, overwintering and flowering beautifully, some sedum spectabile around the edges, sempervivums and oriental poppies. I'd like to add rock rose, lavender and perhaps some alchemilla mollis and globe thistle (V.etch's Blue). A dark green leaved - silver spotted - pulmonaria (lungwort) has also spread itself onto the gravel.

That sounds lovely, hopalong. Any chance of a picture? You must have a mild winter to get cannas  to survive. It sounds like a very interesting mixture. It never would have occurred to me to add pulmonaria.

Thanks Grannie Annie. I'll post photos when I get my home PC back from repair (it's got a virus of some kind). I'm typing this on a laptop. Incidentally, Pulmonaria just arrived there of its own accord. I didn't think of putting it there myself!