Will a rock garden work here?

15 years ago

I started a sun garden this year to showcase the multitude of cannas that keep reproducing in my yard. It's 80' in diameter and as the cannas and additional plants grow and fill in, the remaining planting spaces are pretty much along the edges of my garden. We have very sandy, quick to drain soil, and it's probably acidic from all the pines surrounding this area. Also this year I fell in love with the concept of a rock garden and started a planter with a variety of sedums and sempervivums. I've had some problems with the semps taking on too much water in the planter and am now considering the "what if" I move everything to my sun garden scenario. This would be a full sun area and pretty dry since my watering system doesn't seem to reach to the edges of my garden. Any suggestions for how I might incorporate a rock garden into the existing space so everything looks cohesive? Of course I'll need to add some large rocks but I'm having a bit of trouble envisioning the two gardens blending. I'd really appreciate any design ideas you might like to share. This is a link to pictures of my space --

http://s309.photobucket.com/albums/kk378/cannacrazy/Susans%20Garden%2008/

I'm also including a link to pictures of the two planters I've started. I've really become infatuated with the beauty of these succulents and would love to expand my collection by starting a larger area.

http://s309.photobucket.com/albums/kk378/cannacrazy/Rock%20Garden/

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Susan

Comments (2)

greeness
15 years ago
You can't go wrong with succulents! They add so much textural interest and their unusual colors and shapes never fail to draw comments from visitors to your lawn and garden areas. The only problem I've had with succulents is that they can't abide accumulations of water, but they do need more moisture than cacti. I think that cannas and succulents compliment each other very well, and cast my vote in favor of your new canna/succulent garden!
cannacrazy
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for your vote of confidence! I'm thinking I'll plot my strategy over the winter. Maybe buy some rocks to add some visual interest and then plant some large sedums next spring. My Black Jack did not do well in the planter (very disappointing) but my stonecrops are thriving. I guess it has something to do with the root depth of the larger plants? I've heard that sedums do not like their "feet" to be wet. We've been very, very dry this summer. When it does rain, though, it's torrential and I think that's what waterlogged my planter. The ground plantings have to be the way to go! Would love to see pictures of your plants!