Alpine plants for rockery garden
Shop our range of the best alpine plants for the rockery garden. Alpines are well suited to flourish in the rock garden as they grow naturally in mountainous, rocky regions in the wild. They are hardy, slow-growing, low-maintenance and drought tolerant, thriving in cracks between stone, crevice’s in pathways, in between paving slabs or even in tiny pockets in stone walls. Rock gardens are perfect for adding colour and interest to parts of the garden with shallow or poor soil. Constructed as natural-looking rocky outcrops, ideally on a slope in full sun, they work particularly well alongside ponds, water features or next to walls and can be given extra height and contours using railway sleepers if your garden is naturally flat. Some of the best alpine plants for rockeries are Arabis, aubretia, campanula (bellflower plants) and sedum, commonly known as stonecrop.
Arabis have long-lasting spring blooms in loose racemes which clothe the entire plant, creating a fabulous display against a backdrop of evergreen leaves. Aubretia is a fantastic mat-forming evergreen perennial with four-petalled flowers ranging from the deepest vibrant shades to the palest almost white hues, including violets, purples and pinks. Campanula alpines produce an abundance of distinctive, upturned, open bell-shaped flowers in hues of pink and white, mainly lavender and light blue, while Sedums are evergreen perennial plants with unusually shaped, thick, succulent leaves and fleshy stems. Alpines require a well-drained soil and open position away from trees. A layer of grit on the surface helps drainage and deters slugs.