Use these tough but pretty perennials and succulents to create a super low-maintenance landscape.
These pretty, low-maintenance rock garden plants make top choices for any well-draining, gravelly spot.
Every spring, it develops masses of cheerfulyellow flowersthat look terrific tucked between rocks and boulders.
Credit: Andy Lyons
In warmer regions, this plant can be short-lived, so replant every year or two.
you might grow perennial alyssum from seeds or nursery transplants.
They keep the color show going while other plants come in and out of bloom.
Credit: Denny Schrock
One favorite for a rock garden isblue fescue(Festuca glauca).
Blue fescue thrives in dry conditions and mixes well with other rock garden plants.
This handsome perennial develops tiny green leaves forming a solid mat that can take light foot traffic.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Blue star creeper is covered in the spring with pretty, pale blue star-shaped flowers.
Blue star creeperprefers slightly moist soil, making it a great partner for Irish moss in moister climates.
Candytuft is aneasy-care perennialthats deer- and drought-resistant.
Credit: Mike Jensen
After blooming,remove the spent flowersand enjoy the plants rich green leaves right through the winter.
An ideal rock garden plant, creeping phlox thrives in poor, dry soil that drains quickly after rain.
Creeping phlox produces carpets of blue, purple, rose, pink, or bicolor blooms.
Credit: Denny Schrock
The plants also have dark, needlelike,evergreen foliagethat remains attractive year-round.
This handsome creeper comes in avariety of foliage colors, including silver, chartreuse, green, and bicolor.
The pink or white flowers appear from May to July and are alsodeer-resistant.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
This fantastic family of succulents comes in a seemingly endless selection of shapes, sizes, and colors.
Then, when frost threatens, just bring it indoors.
come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, so theyre super collectible.
Credit: Rich Pomerantz
Hens-and-chicks are drought tolerant and are small enough to be tucked into even the tiniest sunny nook or cranny.
Thismat-forming perennialgrows 3-6 inches tall and can spread two feet or more wide.
Tuck the ice plant between boulders and watch it slowly frame the stones with brilliant color.
Credit: Ed Gohlich
Ice plants are more cold-hardy in drier, western landscapes.
In the spring, the plants are accented with tiny star-like white flowers.
Tuck Irish moss between stones and water once weekly if rainfall is scarce.
Credit: Matthew Benson
This handsome, evergreen trailer produces lavender-blue flowers in late spring and early summer.
Test Garden Tip:The plants can spread quickly and are considered invasive in parts of the southeast.
This gorgeous ground hugger will quickly fill in between paving stones or rock walls.
Credit: Bob Stefko
Redcreeping thymeis smothered with tiny lavender-red blooms in the summer and grows well in containers.
This pretty creeper produces masses of cheerful pink orwhite flowersin the spring.
It can tolerate heat and drought and is deer-resistant.
Credit: Jay Wilde
Rock cress makes a great container plant, too.
Shear back plants after flowering to encourage denser growth.
Look for sedum tiles at your local garden center.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Snow-in-summer also has soft gray foliage that looks terrific even when the plants are not blooming.
If planted in a sunny, well-drained location, this plant will spread slowly through your rock orvertical garden.
Shear off flowers after they fade to keep the plants looking their best.
Credit: Denny Schrock
However, soapwort is prized today for its fragrantpink flowersthat lure butterflies to your garden.
Soapwort thrives in shallow, rocky soil, so its perfect for rock and wall gardens.
The flowers appear from July to September; deadhead them as they fade to encourage more blooms.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Its a compact plant with delicate grasslike foliage and showy pink or white ball-like blooms in the spring.
Thrift prefers poor soil; the plants may rot if grown in rich or moist soil.
Clip away the flowers as they fade to keep plants looking tidy.
Credit: Denny Schrock
Butterflies, bumblebees, andhummingbirds love to visit the blooms.
It may be short-lived but will reseed and slowly spread itself around.
It forms clumps of fuzzy leaves, a quintessential look in alpine plants.
Credit: Povy Kendal Atchison
In spring, it produces purple flowers, followed by fluffy-looking seed heads.
It may die back by the end of summer but will reappear early the following spring.
It tolerates hot, dry conditions and poor, rocky soil, plus deer leave it alone.
Credit: Denny Schrock
This will diminish over time as the plant establishes and develops itself, leading to fewer weeds to remove.
Credit: Jeffrey Rycus
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit:Carson Downing
Credit:Peter Krumhardt
