7 Colorful Rock Garden Plants

 7 Colorful Rock Garden Plants That Will Grow in Poor Soil

Use hardy but beautiful perennials and succulents to create a very low-maintenance landscape These beautiful, low-maintenance rock garden plants make excellent choices in any well-drained, gravelly spot. Use them to create a colorful rock garden, but these hardy plants work well in gravel gardens, alpine gardens, pockets in dry layer walls and between stairs. Count on these low-growing perennials and succulents to grow vibrant flowers and foliage, even in poor soil, drought, and heat.

1. Alyssum

Commonly known as basket of gold, perennial alyssum (Arinia saxatilis) makes a beautiful wall or rock garden plant. Every spring, it produces cheerful yellow flowers that look so pretty among rocks and boulders. In warmer regions, this plant is short-lived, so replant every year or two. You can grow perennial alyssum from seeds or nursery transplants.

2. Blue fescue

Just as you would in a traditional perennial garden, including ornamental grasses in your rock or wall garden is important to add texture and interest year-round. They continue the color display as other plants bloom and come out. A favorite for a rock garden is blue fescue (Festuca glauca). This dense, clumping grass grows up to 12 inches tall and has bluish foliage accented with buff-colored flower stalks in late summer. Blue fescue thrives in dry conditions and blends well with other rock garden plants.

3. Blue Star Creeper

Although it's small, blue star flag (Isotoma fluviatilis) should be on your must-have list for rock or wall gardens. This beautiful perennial produces small green leaves that form a sturdy mat that can take light foot traffic. Blue Star Creeper is covered in beautiful, pale blue star-shaped flowers in spring. Blue Star Creeper prefers slightly moist soil, making it an ideal partner for Irish moss in wet climates.

4. Candytuft

A reliable spring bloomer, candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) produces a stunning carpet of snow-white flowers on bright green foliage. As a bonus, as the flowers mature, they fade to pale pink, giving the plant a second color. Candytuft is an easy care perennial that is deer and drought resistant. After blooming, remove the spent flowers and enjoy the plants' rich green foliage all winter long.

5. Creeping Phlox

Just when you thought winter would never end, jewel-like flowers like creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) burst into bloom in early spring. An ideal rock garden plant, creeping flax thrives in poor, dry soil that drains quickly after rain. Creeping phlox produces carpets of blue, purple, pink, pink, or bicolor flowers. Plants are attractive year-round with dark, needle-like, evergreen foliage.

6.Deadnettle

Valued for both its colorful leaves and flowers, deadnet (Lamium maculatum) makes an excellent rock garden plant, especially in shady locations. This beautiful vine comes in a variety of green colors including silver, chartreuse, green and bicolor. Pink or white flowers appear from May to July and are deer-resistant. When happy, deadnet can spread quickly, but don't worry, because the plants are easy to control with an occasional haircut.

7. Euphorbia

If you live in a frost-free area, be sure to include euphorbia in your rock garden. This wonderful family of succulents comes in an endless selection of shapes, sizes and colors. They are very heat and drought tolerant and have shallow root systems that allow them to be easily embedded in tight spaces between rocks and boulders. In the north, you can still enjoy euphorbia by planting it in a large, flat pot and setting it in the center of the garden. Then, when frost threatens, bring it indoors.