Rock Garden vs. "Rockery": Know the Difference
Not every arrangement of stones and plants is a true rock garden — understanding the difference determines whether your alpine and rock plants will actually thrive.
Foundation Planting, an Underused Idea
Where stone ledges naturally occur around a home, a "rock garden foundation planting" makes a fitting, natural-looking base for a stone or stucco house — a welcome change from an all-evergreen foundation bed. The shade found on north- and west-facing exposures also happens to suit many rock garden and alpine plants especially well, and hidden watering can be arranged discreetly in these spots.
Why a "Rockery" Isn't a Rock Garden
A simple heap of rocks and soil — sometimes called a "rockery" — might support vines like English ivy or a few dry-soil annuals, but it isn't a true rock garden in any real sense. The entire purpose of a proper rock garden is to trap and hold moisture deep below the surface so far-reaching alpine roots can draw on it even when the surface looks bone-dry. A rockery does the opposite: it dries out fast after spring rains, and only constant, plant-damaging trenching can keep it damp at all.
Decide upfront whether your real goal is growing rock plants or building an authentic rock garden — a slightly raised bed with no stone at all can grow many rock plants perfectly well if that's the actual aim.
