Rock garden plants are those that are adapted to high alpine environments, mountainsides, canyons, steep river banks, or any conditions where soil is rocky and loose. Some examples of plants that thrive in rock garden conditions include Sedum, Cheilanthes, Agaves, Oregano, Phlox, Scutellaria, Hesperaloe, Yucca, and many more.
We are really proud of our own crevice garden made from upcycled materials here at Plant Delights/Juniper Level Botanic Garden in 2017 and have compiled a pictorial history that you can view here. We hope that it will inspire you to create your own!
Be sure to also read this excellent blog post about our crevice garden via the blog of landscape designer Kenton Seth, who helped design and install sections of the crevice garden. Also, be sure to watch our video showing our rock garden and berm garden here at Plant Delights.
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Aspidistra attenuata 'Alishan Green Giant'
Item #: 1977
Zones: 7b to 11
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold out
Aspidistra elatior 'Ippin'
Item #: 2265
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: China, Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $35.00Regular priceUnit price perNext crop available: 06/14/2024Sold out -
Aspidistra sichuanensis 'Clouded Leopard'
Item #: 14893
Zones: 7b to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 22" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Athyrium filix-femina 'Lady in Red'
Item #: 4968
Zones: 3a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 20" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Athyrium 'Ghost'
Item #: 3881
Zones: 3a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Athyrium niponicum 'Rebel Rouser'
Item #: 10532
Zones: 3a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 20" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold out
Baptisia 'Dark Net'
Item #: 3949
Zones: 4a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price perNext crop available: 05/31/2024Sold out -
Baptisia megacarpa
Item #: 15686
Zones: 6b to 8b, guessing
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per -
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Baptisia minor 'Blue Bonnet'
Item #: 3716
Zones: 3a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $26.00Regular priceUnit price perNext crop available: 06/27/2025Sold out -
Beschorneria septentrionalis 'Fairey Christmas'
Item #: 2704
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Mexico
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $26.00Regular priceUnit price perSold out -
Bigelowia nuttallii
Item #: 11079
Zones: 5a to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 8" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Calamintha nepeta var. nepeta
Item #: 3501
Zones: 5a to 8a, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 20" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Southern Europe
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Calanthe discolor
Item #: 2617
Zones: 6b to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $60.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Calanthe 'Kozu Spice'
Item #: 650
Zones: 7a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $65.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold out
Calanthe sieboldii
Item #: 1861
Zones: 7a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 20" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $72.00Regular priceUnit price perNext crop available: 06/14/2024Sold out -
Sold out
Calanthe 'Takane'
Item #: 2330
Zones: 7a to 9a
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 8" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: Hybrid, Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $65.00Regular priceUnit price perSold out -
Callirhoe involucrata
Item #: 1839
Zones: 4a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Callirhoe involucrata var. tenuissima
Item #: 1995
Zones: 4a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Mexico
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold out
Calylophus berlandieri 'Gold Foil'
Item #: 17463
Zones: 7a to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price perNext crop available: 06/14/2024Sold out -
Campanula poscharskyana 'Camgood'
Item #: 8037
Zones: 4a to 7b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 8" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Balkans
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Cardamine bulbosa 'Fairy Lights'
Item #: 16976
Zones: 6a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Summer, Fall
Height: 17" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 2.5" pot (7.9 fl. oz/233 ml)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Cardamine bulbosa 'Snow Showers'
Item #: 13874
Zones: 6a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Summer, Fall
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 2.5" pot (7.9 fl. oz/233 ml)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Cardamine douglassii 'Southern Lady'
Item #: 8601
Zones: 6a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Summer, Fall
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 2.5" pot (7.9 fl. oz/233 ml)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Carex appalachica
Item #: 5793
Zones: 4a to 7b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per
More Information About Rock Garden Plants
What is a rock garden?
Rock Gardens are landscape features designed to mimic high-altitude alpine landscapes, mountain-sides, desert canyons, steep river banks or any other ecosystem where the ground is rocky and loose. In the wild, alpine and other rocky ecosystems tend to be windy, free-draining and harsh and thus are populated by drought-tolerant plants that survive by staying small. Rock gardens are an artistic simulation of these ecosystems and feature small hardy perennials growing among artfully arranged rock outcrops. The goal of a rock garden is to feature small attractive rock garden plants that might otherwise be overlooked or out-competed in another type of garden bed such as a perennial border.
What are the best rock garden plants?
Some rock gardeners feature alpine plants in their rock gardens while others focus on small desert succulents. Still others will put any small, tough plant that deserves special attention into a rock garden. Plants that naturally grow in cold mountainous regions (especially the Alps) are known as alpine plants and plants that naturally grow on rock outcrops or among loose rocks are known as saxatile plants or lithophytes. These rock garden plants are almost always hardy perennials like sedum, but beyond that they can be deciduous or evergreen; bulb or fibrous rooted; flowering, grass, fern or conifer; leafy or succulent; native or exotic; and sun- or shade-loving. As long as they are small and tough, they are appropriate. Although we are not exclusively a rock garden nursery, we have filtered through our enormous on-line plant catalog and selected the best hardy perennials for rock gardens.
Building a Rock Garden - Crevice Garden
We've established an impressive crevasse garden here at PDN. Here is a short video showing the early stages. If you would like to see the final results, be sure to visit us on one of our open house days throughout the year or schedule a visit.
Gardening Unplugged - Berm Gardening
In this video, PDN founder Tony Avent takes guests on a tour of our berm garden and discusses how you can build your own.