Rock gardens were an essential element in the English country garden – and even in small town gardens – for most of the last century. But too popular often turns to neglected and taken for granted. Now there’s a rockery revival – it’s a good way to deal with a slope, to add vertical interest and to grow drought tolerant, easy care plants. Here are rock garden tips from Amicia Oldfield of Doddington Place Gardens and garden designer Posy Gentles.
00:00 Welcome
00:05 The Rock Garden at Doddington Place Gardens, open to the public twice a week between April and September: https://www.doddingtonplacegardens.co.uk/
00:55 Video on the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019 https://youtu.be/D8m7opL12NA
01:37 Garden designer Posy Gentles: https://www.posygentles.co.uk/
02:07 Where to place a rock garden
02:15 How to make a mound for a rock garden
03:17 Should you use a weed suppressant membrane?
03:51 Get ideas for your rock garden from the historic rock garden at Doddington Place Gardens
04:59 How to choose rocks for your rock garden
07:05 How to save money on buying rocks
08:03 What plants for a rock garden?
08:47 Start with the evergreen structure
09:01 Include vertical interest with conifers and trailing plants
09:14 Rock gardens are good for bulbs
10:38 Are rock gardens low maintenance?
10:53 More good rock garden plants
10:39 Leave moss and lichens to look natural
12:10 Do you need sculpture in a rock garden?
12:40 Look at other rock gardens when planning your own
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21 Comments
I’m always looking out for any free rocks for adding to corners of my garden.
Great plant ideas for drought tolerant garden.
I added a little rock garden and I love it so much! It was a fun project with some free cycled rocks and pebbles! I love the alpine plants/ they are so different than other perennials! Thank you for another great video ❤️
Yes I'd like to make a small tock garden at the centre of my little allotment garden. In the centre I have at the moment herbs in pots and lots of bricks and some stones . Probably broken pots too . I think these might make the basis of a little rock garden. I also have some small sedums and would like more of these succulent type plants , lavender of course catmiint, and then some of these little colourful rock plants. . A good project for next Spring but starting this autumn. Thank-you for the inspiration ! K
Thanks!
I was going to do a brick raised bed, but now I am contemplating a rock garden in lieu…my friend has a pile of rocks that would be helpful.
With these droughts the new trend is set.
Lovely. I actually have been tending my rock garden on my back slope for many years. A lot of drought tolerant natives and Mediterranean plants. My husband and I have moved every rock onto that site.
A front garden is the perfect place for a rock garden, instead of a lawn. So many people have lawns in their front gardens, but rarely use them.
I love rock gardens, particularly alpine themed ones. Being someone who loves hiking in the mountains and seeing all the alpine meadows, wildflowers, alpine trees, and rocks, I've really been drawn to recreating that in my own garden. Really loved this video and some useful tips that I liked in there, and some things I had always assumed but never heard confirmed (such as using tulips and daffodils in an alpine rock garden. I thought I was crazy for trying that out this year heh).
I've used a lot of native alpine species in my rock garden, including some more rare species I found available at our local native plant nursery, such as subalpine larches (extremely rare to non-existent in the horticultural industry), to beargrass, spreading phlox (which is not the common creeping phlox), glacier lilies (looks like trout lilies), subalpine fir, mountain hemlock, and pink mountain heather (the latter I am still trying to find). I also love seaside daisy (beach daisy), western larch, western columbine, pink (Lewis's) and yellow monkeyflower, subalpine spirea, vine maple, and shooting stars.
I also have quite a few exotic plants as well, some alpine exotics too, and other non-alpine plants that I either train to grow in a bushy wild alpine form (like azaleas), or tulips/daffodils like shown in the video.
I have a dry creek bed running through the middle, and several rocky hills with plants and alpine tree groupings. I try to stay away from anything that is pruned too formal looking, but I do sometimes include the odd topiary for contrast. I also appreciate the self seeded volunteers (or bird gifts) that shows up (as long as it isn't an invasive species of course).
I like using blueberries, huckleberries, deciduous shrubs, and deciduous conifers (larches) for fall interest too. In addition to subalpine larches, I also have western larches, eastern larches (tamaracks), european larches, and japanese larches. I adore larches for their unique look in fall and soft lime green summer/spring foliage.
We have just started a rock garden and my husband insisted on barrier fabric.Grrr. He also insisted on rocks being positioned first Grrrrr. Oh well. Lots of cutting to done….
The Kentish ragstone is so very beautiful! When I plant a full sun drought tolerant plant start such as rosemary or lavender, I place a medium sized stone next to it, the stone releases heat when the day cools and the plant grows happily next to it.
I’ve always loved the look of a rock garden and I’m incorporating little pockets of rock plantings in my garden.
Fabulous video! Very interested in putting a small rock garden in my zone 5b MA, US garden.
Love rock gardens …seems i love all gardens and want all gardens. . sure going to try an area. Nothing to loose thanks always for these classics. It makes me happy
In our neighborhood we had some concrete rubble so I put it around the base of our foot bridge to prevent erosion. I need to build up the area with more dirt before I can plant anything, but in the meantime it looks much better than it was.
Great video. I wonder how well rock gardens work in the shade? I've got a shady little raised bed in the corner of a patio area. South East facing but up against a fence and currently containing two small conifer lollypops, a large yucca and a Bay tree. Currently covered in purple slate, it looks nice and tidy but it doesn't fill my heart with joy! In my mind rock gardens are very open (as in the one in your video) and are made to simulate exposed alpine slopes. Would any traditional rock garden plants enjoy this shady spot?
Hello new friend here! Thank you for sharing your garden with me. I just love how it’s all coming 🫑🍅🪴👍together and growing so nicely! I love to garden and I also make garden videos. I wrapping up my 3rd year gardening. I’m sad it’s coming to an end. I have so much to still learn. My plans for my off season is to learn as much as I can about gardening and making videos. I’d love it if we could learn more from each other!
As always, very interesting, and pleasurable to watch……Love rock gardens Alpines and succulents….I don't have space for such an endeavor, even on a small scale, but I do have a flat roof terrace where I have over 250 pots of succulents and alpines…..No rocks unfortunately, but maybe I could add some hollow lightweight versions made of cement…Now there's an idea….. I love the way you say Good Bye in a musical tone!
The lovely rock gardens presented in this video was brilliantly helpful and inspiring. I thoroughly enjoyed the knowledge and advice shared by your wonderful guests. Once again, thank you Alexandra for creating another fabulous video. 🙏🏻🌱
Inspirational thank you