As gardeners it’s sometimes difficult to resist the urge to place plants in every available space in the garden. But when you’ve done that, what’s left? Crevices! Avid rock gardeners probably can guess what I’m referring to: Crevice Gardening. For the rest of us, it’s a chance to expand our gardening skills. If you have a large rocky outcrop on your property, stone patio, stone wall, or even a concrete patio with a few cracks in it then a crevice garden might be a good option for you.
Technically crevice gardening, perfected by the English, refers to growing plants in the vertical crevices or spaces between the rocks in a stone wall, however, horizontal crevices in stone outcrops can also be planted of course. Planting on a newer stone wall can help “age” the wall making it look like it’s been there for a while. If you want a pristine, clean wall, then you’re better off not planting it.
Most crevice gardens use the same woodland or alpine-type plants (e.g. sweet alyssum, miniature phlox, basket of gold) as rock gardens, provided there is enough sun. You can also plant diminutive spring bulbs like scilla or snowdrops. Shady moss covered stone walls or patios can be planted with smaller maidenhair ferns and trailing arbutus--or even try growing moss!
Recommended reading:
Garden Stone: Creative Landscaping with Plants and Stone
Rock Garden Design and Construction
The No-Garden Gardener : Creating Gardens on patios, balconies, terraces, and in other small spaces
Photo source: www.alpinegardensociety.net