Planting stones are used for embankment reinforcement, light wells and bed borders. Not only do they serve as demarcation and consolidation, they can also be beautifully planted. If you don't want to replant your planting stones every year, you should choose winter-hardy plants. Below you will find a list of the most beautiful hardy plants for planting stones.
Which plants are suitable for hardy plant stones?
Winter-hardy plants for planting stones include hardy lavender, flowering ground cover plants such as Andean cushions and thyme, as well as low-growing perennials such as cinquefoil and Caucasus forget-me-not. Small trees such as heather and boxwood are also suitable.
Hardy Lavender
Lavender is particularly popular for planting on plant stones. Even though it originally comes from the Mediterranean region, there are now various varieties of lavender that are also hardy in our latitudes. The sun-loving lavender smells pleasant, blooms long and brightly purple and attracts numerous insects - the best option for plant rings in a sunny location.
Winter-hardy cushion plants for planting stones
Cushion plants, also called carpet plants or ground cover, form a beautiful, dense carpet and thus cover the entire soil of the plant stones. This not only looks very attractive, but also leaves other plants no chance. In addition, cushion plants tend to grow over the edge and thus also cover the vertical part of the planting rings. Here is a list of hardy, flowering ground covers:
| Name | Flower color | Flowering time | Evergreen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andean Cushions | Yellow | May to June | No |
| Balkan Strawbill | Delicate pink | May to July | Yes |
| Blue Periwinkle | Bluish violet | May to September | Yes |
| Leadwort | Bluish-violet | August to October | No |
| Star moss | White | May to July | Yes |
| Thyme | variety dependent | June to September | Yes |
| Carpet Dogwood | White | May to June | No |
Hardy perennials for the plant stones
Single, tall perennials with little foliage, such as lilies or ornamental onions, are not particularly suitable for planting stones. These types of plants appear lost and out of place in planter stones. Therefore, opt for low-growing, hardy perennials with lush foliage such as:
| Name | Flower color | Flowering time | Evergreen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caucasus forget-me-nots | Blue | April to June/July | No |
| Cinquefoil | Yellow | Depending on variety, usually April to June | No |
| woman's coat | Yellow-green | May to August | No |
| Snakeweed | Pink | June to July | No |
| Storksbill | Pink to bluish-purple | May to September | No |
Plant planting stones with hardy trees
Small trees or shrubs are ideal for planting stones - and they are almost always hardy and often wintergreen, such as the evergreen heather, which even blooms pink, purple or white until late into autumn. Boxwood or dwarf varieties of conifers are also suitable for planting in plant rings.
Tip
Combine hardy trees with ground cover plants and flowering perennials and get a beautiful plant stone wall made of partly evergreen plants.