Building Rockeries

Hello gang,

Reached the next stage of reclaiming my garden (which hasnt been touched for 25+years)

I want to build 2 rockeries to make a border between my lawn and a woodland type seating area

 The bricks mark out the area i want them to be, both about 3-4 feet long and a couple of feet wide as a base area.

i have some nice rocks (and will buy some more soon) and a nice amount of rubble to build up the height and core of them.

Has anyone got any tips on how to go about building it and what sort of Alpine plants people have enjoyed and have survived in their rockeries. That area of my garden get partial shade in the winter and pretty much full sun the rest of the year. I live in Worthing on the south coast with a south facing garden.

Thanks

And this was the view of the same bit of garden when i moved in.

Don't talk to me about Tree Ivy!!!

Things often look better in groups of alternate numbers.  1,3,5.  Take care the finished structure doesn't get nicknamed 'The dogs' graves'.  Or worse!

I think I'd be going for one. A good sized rockery, wide but not tall. It would give you more scope for planting. But are you sure about a rockery here? It doesn't seem to go with a woodland type seating area. 

Unless you are skilled it is very easy to make a Rockery look like a Plum pudding or a Dog's grave. I would make a raised bed, using the rocks to increase the depth of soil and with the rubble and free draining soil, you would have a really good alpine growing area which would look nice.

Almost all soi-dit rockery plants would grow in it. If it gets full sun all day in Summer then avoid the cushion  forming saxifrages, they tend to burn in too much sun.

This might be useful

http://palustris.blogspot.co.uk/2007/10/boulder-alpine-garden.html

hi steve. i agree with nutcutlet,about the rockery and a woodland setting they dont really go together,but a great woodland area with some sort of seating with logs and woodland plants would look great especially with all the woodland bulbs, or if you are really set on a rockery then one big one rather than two small ones otherwise it might look like a plum pudding.

The more I think about it the more I wouldn't have a rockery there. Grass into woodland edge planting into woodland seating area sounds right to me. 

and when your woodland grows up and overhangs the rockery the plants on there will be most upset. 

A little update , so went for the big rock garden raised bed, just have to get the soil to fill it. Not going to put Alpines in it anymore but make it a flower bed instead with asssorted lobelia and bulbs in the spring. The wood chipped area has around 300 bulbs in there, just got to finish it off and add a bench and all sorted for lazy summer afternoons

you havent buried anything in there have you, looks suspicious to me. only joking well done