With all the choices for trailing plants to edge paths or tumble over rock walls or the edges of containers, your garden will be a delight at toe level throughout the season. It prefers a loamy soil but can adapt to clay, sandy, or gravelly varieties. It’s very flat so doesn’t add much textural interest to the garden – best to use it peeking out from low shrubs or perennials, creeping onto a path or trailing from a container or over a wall. The plant is low-growing and can thrive in poor rocky or sandy soil, though it must have good drainage. Still, this plant is tolerant of drought and can even handle being grown in a little shade. With its purple-tinged foliage, wood spurge can make a colorful impact in a rock garden. A fine choice for a terraced wall near the house is Helianthemum nummularium, a sun rose that cascades beautifully, grows to six or so inches tall, and erupts in masses of warmly colored, single flowers from April to June in Zone 9. The many hybrids and cultivars that fall under the general umbrella of creeping thyme (Thymus) add “foot interest,” as my friend and garden designer Claire Bennett calls it. My favourites include woolly thyme (usually called T. lanuginosus but correctly called T. pseudolanuginosus), with its hairy leaves that give a greyish cast to the plant, and the lemon-scented thymes, such as T. x citriodorus ‘Bertram Anderson.’ Nomenclature on these little gems is confused, but if you like the look (and aroma!) They can tolerate many soil types, including the conditions of a rock garden. Trailing perennial flowers are striking planted along flowerbeds and borders, nestled within rock gardens and billowing over a garden wall or container. 1. Spiked speedwell is a compact perennial flower that's good for rock gardens, foundation plantings, flower beds, borders, and more. Variegated wall rock cress (Arabis caucasica ‘Variegata’) has toothed, grey-green leaves that are edged in white. Copyright © Canada Wide Media Limited. A flowering perennial, yarrow is popular as an edging plant or in a rock garden. Well-behaved, this charming Bellflower is perfect for rock gardens, cascading over walls or containers. Trailing, weeping or vining plants can be utilized to cover a rock retaining wall with lush foliage and bright flowers. The plant grows to a height and spread of about a foot. Terraces made of stone walls perfectly display trailing plants. It produces small, star-shaped yellow blooms in early to mid-summer. Rugosa rose is a sprawling, thorny, flowering shrub. Some vines, like ivy, are true climbers that use aerial roots to hold on to surfaces. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) 9 /14 Another super easy houseplant, pothos is a great trailing plant for your shower. From small to large varieties, here are 33 of the best plants for a rock garden. As a bonus, salvia's colorful flowers tend to attract many pollinators. Plants in crevices will soften the appearance of the stone. Trailing plants, cascading plants, or spiller plants. Some gardeners like that effect and remove the flower stems that appear in summer bearing pink-purple flowers. Blue rug juniper is a ground-hugging needled evergreen known for its green to blue-green foliage. Add stones to a slope for erosion control, creating planting pockets as you go. Avoid planting ajuga next to lawns where it can spread. The plant grows well in rock gardens, as well as in stone walls or between garden stepping stones. Others, like honeysuckle, twine their stems around hand holds. Give it full or part shade, humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil and not too much competition. Its flowers, which attract hummingbirds, are a fascinating shape said to resemble a jester's cap. It grows best in moist, organically rich soil but tolerates most conditions as long as it has good drainage. Their bright flowers often let you spruce up a dull space. It thrives on sunny slopes and prefers fast drainage. SOME OF THE BEST TRAILING PLANTS ROCK SOAPWORT (Saponaria ocymoides) Creates a low mat covered in either pink or white blooms in early summer. The purple ice plant is often used as a spreading ground cover, and it can flower all summer long. Although it rained the entire time I was there, I was able to get a few photos to showcase a few gardens. Creeping phlox brings soft pastel colors to the spring garden. Aurinia saxatilis (or Alyssum saxatile) provides a thick, glorious mat of bright-yellow flowers. But it does not like soggy soil. The parent rosettes are called the "hens," and the smaller rosettes that offshoot from them are the "chicks." It thrives in poor sandy or rocky soil, and it can tolerate some drought, heat, and humidity. Yellow Alyssum (Aurinia saxatilis) Yellow alyssum is a low-growing, spreading plant that puts out … It thrives in poor soil and is considered a drought-tolerant plant. Trailing plants make effective ground covers on a difficult-to-plant area or a steep slope, or can be planted where the green foliage can cascade freely over a rock wall. On the plus side, it can fill in somewhat shady areas where other plants won't grow. Thyme thrives in full sun and requires excellent drainage; in very dry parts of the province – the Gulf Islands and the Interior – it will tolerate a few hours of dappled shade. The plant grows best with regular moisture and good drainage. Alpine plants, which often dislike wet conditions and are adapted to growing in poor soils, are another option as are many wild flowers, such as Welsh poppy, which thrive in poorer soils. Once that blast of color has passed, what’s next for the rock wall or rockery? The Shasta daisy is a low-maintenance perennial flower. Evergreens like ivy and creeping Jenny will trail down the wall too. The plant is drought-tolerant, though it prefers some moisture in the soil. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. Planted at the edge of a path, thymes tickle your toes as you go on your way, releasing a Mediterranean aroma. Moreover, it's important that the bulbs rest in fairly dry soil during their summer dormancy, making the plant ideal for a well-draining rock garden. It typically includes softscape plants suitable to those conditions. Creeping phlox or other trailing plants add an interesting "waterfall" effect to your wall. They bloom March through April in full sun and average soil. The low-growing form and fine texture creates a sea of spring color, ideal planted as a perennial border or flanking a garden path. Creeping thyme is aromatic like the edible herb, but it's mainly grown as a ground cover or to fill in space between stepping stones. Fragrant white flowers appear in late spring. It produces pink flowers (a white selection is also available) in early summer, covering a low mat of hairy, bright-green leaves. 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