Water-Wise Rock Garden
Beautiful on a fraction of the water
Designed for the hot, west-facing side of the house where lawn always struggles. Once established this planting gets by on a deep soak every two weeks — and it looks intentional and finished, not bare.
- Size
- Fits a bed roughly 12 ft x 15 ft
- Light
- Full, hot sun
- Water
- Very low
- Plants
- About 16 plants
How to put it in
- 1Set the largest boulders first and bury a third of each one.
- 2Grade the soil so water runs toward the planting pockets.
- 3Plant, then top-dress with 2–3 inches of angular gravel.
- 4Water weekly the first season, then back off gradually.
What is in this plan
Plant these in groups of three or more for the best effect.
Russian Sage
Perovskia atriplicifolia
A silvery blue haze that thrives on almost no water.
Blanket Flower
Gaillardia aristata
Red and gold pinwheels that bloom until the first hard frost.
Blue Fescue
Festuca glauca
Neat silver-blue tufts — perfect between stones and gravel.
Moonshine Yarrow
Achillea 'Moonshine'
Flat lemon-yellow flowers over silver, ferny leaves.
Autumn Joy Sedum
Hylotelephium 'Herbstfreude'
Late-season color when the rest of the garden is winding down.
Munstead Lavender
Lavandula angustifolia 'Munstead'
Fragrance, bees, and silver foliage that lasts all winter.