Rockery plants require adequate amounts of water and nutrients for them to grow and flourish

  • True species rockery plants need water and nutrients once in a while, especially if the soil had been prepared correctly

  • Larger plantings that have been designed to look different and which contain herbaceous plants, species rockery plants with bedding plant characteristics or actual bedding plants must be supplied with more water and nutrients.

Watering

Dry positions are ideal for the rockery plants that are able to thrive for prolonged periods without water. Water loving rockery plants should be placed in a position that has water accessible at all times. Place plants that prefer shady positions here. Plant cushions or stones can function as water storage units just as they would in their natural habitats. Hollows or stone indentations will be perfect for storing water.

You can create a more humid environment in the rockery by spraying the rockery with water. Spraying should only be done in the evening. You can use mountain plants as well as they catch heavy dews of water that fall at higher elevations. You can also use water basins or containers of water to improve the mini-climate.

Fertilizing

There will be a great need to add more nutrients to the soil as the rockery plants grow larger. The original nutrients will be used up and supplementary nutrients come from fertilizer. You can use well-rooted garden compost as a fertilizer.

  • You must fertilize woody plants, bedding plants and pure rockery species regularly. You will also use mineral fertilizers for these plants.

  • Species rockery plants require less fertilizer because they are more robust. If you supply these plants with too much fertilizer, they will grow too big and die quickly.

  • The rockery plants that grow on the edges of woodlands require plenty of garden compost to grow well.

The ideal time to add garden compost is in the spring.

Pruning rockery plants

You can prune rockery plants in 3 basic ways:

  1. By removing dead flowers

  2. Complete cutting back after flowering

  3. Cutting back dead parts of the plant

The rockery plants will also need to be rejuvenated as they grow older and older. You can rejuvenate the plants by using compost. Through division and by propagating from cuttings or by layering downward hanging shoots.