10 Best Plants for Rock Gardens

What Is a Rock Garden?

A rock garden is a plot of well-draining soil decorated with rocks, stones and boulders with small drought-tolerant plants growing between the rocks. Also known as alpine gardens or rockeries, they’re more than a pile of gravel. They create a specific habitat for plants, says Mike Kintgen, curator of Alpine Collections at the Denver Botanic Gardens and speaker for the North American Rock Garden Society.

Rock gardens are ideal in Kintgen’s climate in Colorado — dry and cool. They also require less watering, which helps you save on your water bill. That, Kingten says, is why interest in them has risen in the last five years or so. Two more benefits: The plants typically require minimal maintenance, and you don’t need to replant annually.

What Makes a Plant Ideal for a Rock Garden?

Generally, rock garden plants are 12 inches tall or less to fit neatly between rocks. They should have a long season of interest, Kintgen says, with attractive leaves and form as well as flowers, so you can enjoy them year-round. Plant them in soil that’s a minimum of 12 inches deep, to allow the plants’ deep root systems to take hold. It’s those deep root systems that makes these plants so drought-tolerant.

Kintgen says picking native plants (meaning indigenous to your region) is also helpful for creating a long-lasting rock garden. These 10 plants are known survivors and thrivers in just about any USDA Plant Hardiness Zone.