Hello! We purchased a house in November and inherited a small rocky area that had seen better days. I’m rubbish at taking before pics so please bear with the witness protection kids.
Now that it is cleared I am wondering what we could plant as a project to do with the kids.
It is located on the north side of a 6ft fence so does not get the greatest amount of direct sunlight, located near Manchester.
Any advice or recommendations would be very much appreciated.
Thanks!
by Phymon89
14 Comments
Alpine flower bed perhaps? You can get some limestone pebbles to cover the area and plant a mix of alpine flowers.
https://preview.redd.it/33tp620e472f1.jpeg?width=1588&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a95c67f220a7bd67d7fc926d6fbf26b06d01fd5c
lots of possibilities. you could blast the moss off the rock and put more slate on and establish alpine stuff.
Youve just moved in, can I recommend some fruit bushes 🙂 They take a little bit to really get going but theyre a good investment. You could happily grow a gooseberry or currant or something up at the top them have flowers underneath it.
Ask at your local plant nursery for shade plants.
You’re looking for maybe some ferns, some alpines. Bleeding hearts or astillbe.begonias. could add a small acer. Just check the labels for light needs.
I’d go for a stumpery like this on a smaller scale: https://www.highgrovegardens.com/pages/the-stumpery?srsltid=AfmBOoooXvDB2s6bP83uBRCxpzsjbZQ6Ghj6DnGqci6qxYRHowj3G5wi
Add some fatsia and tree ferns, then mix the rocks with old stumps and logs, nestle ferns and Italian arums amidst them. Maybe a Gingko tree to add more structure and light shade, as well as that prehistoric feel.
A dry riverbed, add some river pebbles weaving through the rocks and make a small ‘pool’ at the bottom. Or a pondless water feature – it’ll be a lot more work, liner, pump and the water recycles through and as there’s no pooling water it’ll be safer with kids about.
Definitely a Japanese maple tree of some sort, maybe a weeping type as the focal point.
Load it up in Autumn with perennial Tulip bulbs and daffodil bulbs etc then come spring it will look stunning.
Those rocks are amazing! I’m jealous.
Honestly I would dig a little wildlife pond in the middle of them (where the boy in the grey shirt is standing in the first pic).
Then I would plant lots of shade loving plants around it. Hostas, a couple Japanese maples, ferns, a climbing hydrangea and jasmine against the fence.
We had a similar shady, rocky patch and did it as a family project. Ended up mixing a few shade-tolerant shrubs, some ferns, and little groundcovers in between—makes it look full and the kids loved helping plant everything.
I found this site called Sow ( [https://usesow.com](https://usesow.com)) that gives you plant ideas and helps you build out a whole little “plant community” for tricky spots like this. Might be worth a look for inspo! If you want specific plant recs, just shout
Musa basjoo phormium tricolour, acer purpureum, infill as required! Lots of lighting!!
I’d leave it for now. Sit back and see what grows.
No ideas as I have a flat garden, but very jealous of thr rocks
If youve got kids just pump it full of strawberries, they’ll love it
Aubretia and snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum) drape themselves beautifully over rocks