Inspiration for beautiful rock gardens on a slope

Czech gardeners are true world champions at creating beautiful rockeries. We build them in front gardens, in gardens and on slopes too. It says something that the term Czech rockery has caught on abroad. Remember that building one is a long-distance run. Even building a rockery on a slope is a tough nut to crack, and the care it needs is certainly not a job for a single afternoon.

How to deal with problems?

The advantage is that on ground with a moderate slope you do not need to make major changes. Beautiful rockeries will also look great on a gentle slope. The hardest part will be getting rid of perennial weeds. Even if you are careful, you will never get rid of dandelions, thistles or coltsfoot completely. They particularly like growing between stones and in damp places. So dig over the area and remove all the rhizomes. Then try some approved herbicides, but everything in moderation.

Materials for a beautiful rockery

Follow certain steps that will make your rockery the pride of your garden. If you want your rockery to look more natural, build it from stone you can find in your area. Make an arrangement with a forestry company and drive into the forest, where there are plenty of moss-covered stones. Contact quarries too. The most important thing is that the stones are large and made of the same material.

Try adding wild thyme to your rockery. If you dry it, you also have a very good calming tea. It will also fill your home and garden with a lovely scent.

Plants for a rockery

At first, try to plant undemanding plants. For a sunny spot, try saxifrage, for example, wild thyme, houseleeks, dwarf irises, evening primroses, stonecrops, mountain alyssum. For partial shade, yellow corydalis, hosta, primrose and bugle are suitable. If you have a slope with a drier spot, you will appreciate betony, spring pheasant’s eye, rock pinks and oriental speedwell. For damper spots, choose Chinese gentian, buttercup, primrose and barrenwort. On top of that, you will also create a very pleasant tea garden.

If you decide to build a rockery on flat ground, you need to layer the soil and stones to imitate uneven terrain, like small mountains. Remember that every rockery is unique and it is entirely up to you how you play with it. If you want to achieve a natural look, stick to a few rules.

• Do not use rounded or even artificial stones.
• Spread fine gravel between the stones and the plants.
• One type of stone is enough, and definitely avoid coloured stone.

The (not so) easy care of a rockery

Never water a rockery in direct sunlight or during the day when temperatures are high. It is best to give the plants a little water in the morning or evening. Regularly remove weeds and fallen leaves, which rot and provide fertile ground for moulds and fungi. Top up soil and gravel when needed. If the winter is harsh with hard frosts, cover the rockery with spruce branches, which do not shed their needles as quickly as pine branches. 

As is often the case, traditional garden rockeries would not carry so much weight if unconventional rockeries did not appear in contrast to them. These include, for example, a rockery in a bowl, a rockery in a pallet, a mini rockery in a boot or a pot, a frame and so on. So if you are thinking about a better interior in harmony with nature, try a rockery like this too. You may be surprised how effective it will be.