Ralph Astley is a retired gardener from Philadelphia who specializes in outdoor plants and trees. With years of hands-on experience, Ralph not only cares for a diverse range of outdoor flora but also shares his extensive knowledge through well-written articles and social media posts. A trusted authority in arboriculture, he's committed to helping the community grow healthier, more robust gardens.
Transform your stone yard into a stunning display with the Best Rock Garden Plants. Add texture and color to your outdoor space now!
Rock on with your garden game! Tired of the same old green lawn? Shake things up with some of the Best Rock Garden Plants. These hardy little creatures will thrive in rocky soil and add a touch of texture and color to your outdoor space. So, grab your gardening gloves and get ready to turn your rock garden into a masterpiece!
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Best Rock Garden Plants
1. Sedum
Botanical Name: Sedum
Sedum is a hardy succulent that comes in various colors and textures. It’s low maintenance and can handle extreme temperatures, making it one of the Best Rock Garden Plants.
2. Sempervivum
Botanical Name: Sempervivum tectorum
Sempervivum, also known as hen and chicks, is a low-growing succulent that produces rosettes of foliage. This, one of the best Best Rock Garden Plants, is great for creating texture in a rock garden and can handle drought conditions.
3. Lavender
Botanical Name: Lavandula
Lavender is a fragrant herb that produces spikes of purple, blue, or white flowers. It prefers well-drained soil and full sun. It is one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
4. Rock Cress
Botanical Name: Arabis
Rock Cress, also known as Arabis, is a spreading plant that produces delicate flowers in shades of pink, white, and purple. It’s ideal for creating a cascading effect in a rock garden.
Thyme is a low-growing herb that comes in various colors and scents. This Rock Garden Plant is great for creating a fragrant ground cover in a rock garden and is drought-tolerant.
Penstemon is a tall plant that produces spikes of tubular flowers in shades of red, purple, blue, and white. It’s a great choice for adding vertical interest to a rock garden.
Catmint is a low-growing plant that produces spikes of fragrant blue flowers. It’s great for attracting pollinators and providing a food source for wildlife in a rock garden. It is one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
8. Alpine Forget-Me-Not
Botanical Name: Myosotis alpestris
Alpine Forget-Me-Not is a low-growing plant that produces clusters of blue, pink, or white flowers. This Rock Garden Plant is ideal for creating a carpet of color in a rock garden.
9. Lesser Periwinkle
Botanical Name: Vinca minor
Lesser Periwinkle, also known as Vinca minor, is a trailing vine species native to Europe and Asia. Lesser Periwinkle produces delicate, blue, or violet-colored flowers in the spring and summer, and its evergreen leaves provide year-round coverage.
A low-growing perennial with clusters of star-shaped flowers in shades of pink, purple, and white. It is one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
A low-growing herb with tiny, fragrant, pink or lilac flowers that bloom in the summer. It is one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
14. Aubrieta
Botanical Name: Aubrieta
A hardy perennial that produces a carpet of purple, pink, or white flowers in the spring. For best growth, make sure this Rock Garden Plant gets plenty of sunlight.
Creeping saxifrage, this evergreen ground cover has white, pink, or yellow flowers and fleshy leaves. It is one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
Thrift or Armeria Maritime is a compact perennial that produces clusters of pink, red, or white flowers on sturdy stems.
17. Fleabane
Mona Moni
Botanical Name: Erigeron
A hardy and low-maintenance perennial that produces daisy-like flowers in shades of pink, purple, and white. It is one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
This Rock Garden Plant is also called as the Carpathian bellflower. This compact perennial produces clusters of blue, white, or pink bell-shaped flowers in the summer.
19. Dianthus
Botanical Name: Dianthus
A colorful and fragrant perennial that produces single or double flowers in shades of pink, red, white, and purple. It is one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
This slow-growing shrub produces clusters of white or pink bell-shaped flowers followed by edible fruit. It is one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
22. Geranium Sanguineum
Botanical Name: Geranium Sanguineum
Bloody crane’s bill or geranium sanguineum, this hardy perennial produces pink, purple, or red flowers in the summer.
23. Pulmonaria
Botanical Name: Pulmonaria
Pulmonaria is also called lungwort, and this hardy perennial produces spikes of blue, pink, or red flowers in the spring. It is one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
24. Cinquefoils
Botanical Name: Potentilla
A low-growing Rock Garden Plant shrub produces yellow, orange, or red flowers from spring to fall. For the best flowers, ensure they get 4-6 hours of good sunlight exposure.
It is also called blue flax. This hardy perennial produces blue, pink, or white flowers in the summer. It is one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
This Rock Garden Plant is also known as wild pansy, and this hardy perennial produces violet, yellow, or blue flowers with dark markings in the spring and summer.
27. Carex
Botanical Name: Carex × aestivaliformis Mack
It is also known as sedges; these hardy evergreen grasses come in various colors and forms and produce spikes of flowers in the summer. It is one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
Ajuga reptans is a rapidly spreading Rock Garden Plant that can thrive in shady areas. It’s important to keep the plant in a rock garden or pot to prevent it from becoming invasive in lawns.
Snow-in-summer is named after its pristine white flowers that bloom in early summer and give the appearance of a fresh snowfall. It is one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
With its purple-tinged foliage, Wood Spurge can make a colorful impact in a rock garden. It is tolerant of poor soil but requires good drainage and can tolerate some shade, though too much shade can cause it to lose its shape.
32. Blue Fescue Grass
Botanical Name: Festuca glauca
Blue fescue grass is an ornamental grass known for its blue-tinted foliage and yellowish-green flowers. This plant can tolerate some shade too, and makes for one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
Angelina stonecrop is a spreading ground cover that grows quickly to form a mat around 6 inches tall. The more sun the plant receives, the more golden its foliage becomes, with small star-shaped yellow blooms appearing early to mid-summer.
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34. Autumn Joy Sedum
Botanical Name: Hylotelephium ‘Herbstfreude’
Autumn joy sedum is a drought-tolerant plant that thrives in sandy or gravelly soil. It grows to about 2 feet tall and produces tiny flowers. It is one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
Moonbeam coreopsis is a drought and heat-tolerant perennial from the aster family. It thrives in poor, sandy, or rocky soil and is popular as a border planting or in a rock garden.
The Reticulated Iris is a small flowering plant that blooms in the spring. The plant grows best in a mix of sun and shade. It is one of the Best Rock Garden Plantsyou can grow.
Yarrow is a flowering perennial that can be used as an edging plant or in a rock garden. It grows well in average garden soil but can tolerate poor soil and drought and can be an aggressive spreader, so it’s best in a contained area.
