A rock garden is not just something to look at, because you can grow tasty and he althy herbs for the kitchen here. Blooming lavender, fragrant thyme and herbs of Mediterranean origin find ideal conditions in a sunny rock garden.
Which herbs are suitable for a rock garden?
Mediterranean herbs particularly thrive in a rock garden, such as lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), thyme (Thymus), sage (Salvia officinalis), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and winter savory (Satureja montana). They offer aesthetic value and culinary benefits.
Which herbs are suitable for the rock garden?
Many of the Mediterranean herbs, such as some varieties of thyme or common lavender, form large carpets over time, which offer a striking sight, especially when they are in bloom. Alternatively, the herbs can also be cultivated in a specially built herb spiral.
Common lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
This hardiest of all lavender species is a popular and widely used scent and aroma plant. It can be combined in many different ways and is well suited as a small hedge or border. Lavender usually blooms purple, but there are also pink and white blooming varieties. 'Munstead' grows compactly and flowers slightly brighter. 'Hidcote Blue' grows slowly and flowers attractively deep blue-violet. 'Dwarf Blue' remains smaller. 'Lumières des Alpes' has purple lipped flowers and dark blue calyxes.'Miss Katherine' blooms pink and grows to a height of around 60 centimeters. Provence lavender (Lavandula x intermedia) is also very pretty in the rock garden, but is less frost hardy. Both types of lavender can be combined very well with saint flowers, palm lilies, spur flowers and pearl grass.
Thyme (thymus)
Many thyme species and their varieties form large, ground-covering carpets. However, real thyme only survives safely outdoors in warmer regions. For example, the following are particularly suitable for the rock garden:
- Thymus x citriodorus (lemon thyme): 'Aureus', 'Golden Dwarf', 'Silver King' (white-edged leaves), 'Doone Valley' (yellow-variegated leaves)
- Thymus serpyllum: 'Album' (white flowers, forming mats), 'Coccineus' (scarlet flowers)
- Thymus 'Scented Cushion' (frost hardy)
Thyme works well next to blue fescue, woolly ziest and lower catnip.
Spice Sage (Salvia officinalis)
Sage is not only a versatile spice and medicinal plant, but also has a high decorative value. Since over-aged specimens are not hardy, you should cut them regularly. There are also numerous different varieties here. 'Berggarten' has strikingly broad leaves, but rarely flowers and is well hardy. 'Purpurascens' has purple-tinted foliage, 'Ictarine' has yellow-edged foliage. Both varieties need light winter protection in harsh locations. 'Rosea' blooms pink. The lavender-leaved sage (Salvia lavandulifolia) has narrower leaves and is well hardy. Suitable planting partners for all varieties are lavender, thyme, mugwort, sedum and grasses such as Atlas fescue or blue oats.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Rosemary is a valuable kitchen spice as well as a decorative evergreen foliage and flower ornamental plant. But even in mild areas, only some varieties can be grown outdoors without protection - rosemary is not hardy.'Arp' and 'Weihenstephan' are more frost hardy than other forms. Both bloom light blue.
Winter savory (Satureja montana)
This frost-hardy and wintergreen subshrub blooms very pretty white to delicate purple in late summer, depending on the variety. In the garden, the plant looks beautiful next to woolly ziest, blue fescue and stonecrop. The subspecies 'Satureja montana subsp. illyrica' is only approx. 15 centimeters high and presents colorful, purple-violet inflorescences.
Tip
Herbs should always be cut back towards the end of winter.
