Hi
I.ve just burried my dog at the bottom corner of my garden. she died at a good old age 10 Ive decided to build a rockery over her.I have got some good size old stones from work that look very effective so the border is now done.
The size of the rockery is 4 foot wide 6 foot long and it is sloped, the area it is in is shaded by trees. the soil is like clay always wet and moss growing on top.
I would just like some advice on which sort of plants or flowers I could put in it.
starting with the smallest at the bottom of the slope and working the larger ones towards the high point at the back.
I am a beginner to gardening so I really don,t know how many plants or flowers
will fill this space once they start spreading.Would love any good tips.
Regards
alorie.

I'm sorry to hear of your loss. That's a great age. What was her name?

What trees are shading it? This will have a bearing on what will grow there. If they're evergreens, we might struggle, but if they lose their leaves in the winter, then we stand a good chance of getting some colour into the area.

Firstly though, I would deal with your soil. Clay stays wet and cold in the winter (rots off plants and bulbs) and bakes hard in the summer, which also causes problems.

You need to mix the soil with something healthier. Something like garden compost, or well rotted manure, with some horticultural sand /grit to open up the soil particles.

Once we know what we're looking at, then we'll look at plants :D

Hayley
My dogs name was ben a golden retriever.
The tree that shades the rockery is a holly tree.I.ve Allready mixed some compose with some top soil ,put it on top and raked it in.
thanks very much
Alorie.

Hi Alorie
In my front garden, which is in the shade for biggest part of the day, I do well with ferns, Bleeding heart, and Bergenia. I don't have much luck with hostas personally, because of the slugs and snails, but if you don't have that problem, hostas come in a huge array of variations, which can really lift a darker spot. Astilbes do well too, as do most hardy geraniums. Oh and Pulmonaria (lungwort), with some beautiful blue flowers. These are all 'perennials' they die back in the winter, and come back again every year, bigger and better. Once they have outgrown their allotted space, you just divide them, and hey presto free plants.

Mahonia is evergreen, and has yellow flowers, as is Viburnum, with pinky-white fragrant flowers in late spring. Dog Violets make a nice low mat with blue flowers in late spring/early summer.
Weigela (I think that's how you spell it), has some lovely flowers, but some types also have a nice variageted leaf too...oooh and periwinkle does too, but is a low grower with blue flowers.

For an added spot of colour in the summer, pop in some 'Busy Lizzies' They are annuals though, so die when the frosts get to them. You can save the seeds though for the next year - great fun if you have kids around you as their pods 'explode' in your hand

I've had a look to see if there's a rose named Yasmin, but haven't found one yet.
There is a sweet pea variety called Yasmin Khan from Unwins, but they need a sunny spot. Perhaps in a big pot on the patio or by the door, sow now for summer blooms, and the more you cut them and bring them inside to enjoy, the more they will produce

Hi
I.ve just burried my dog at the bottom corner of my garden. she died at a good old age 17.Ive decided to build a rockery over her.I have got some good size old stones from work that look very effective so the border is now done.
The size of the rockery is 4 foot wide 6 foot long and it is sloped, the area it is in is shaded by trees. the soil is like clay always wet and moss growing on top.
I would just like some advice on which sort of plants or flowers I could put in it.
starting with the smallest at the bottom of the slope and working the larger ones towards the high point at the back.
I am a beginner to gardening so I really don,t know how many plants or flowers
will fill this space once they start spreading.Would love any good tips.
Regards
alorie.

best plants for a rockery are succulents and mediteranean plants which dont grow too high. take a notebook and pencil and visit a garden centre and make notes. you will get a good idea of what might fit and where in your rockery. dont get anything too exotic it may wither very quickly. dont forget to put in things like crocuses, snowdrops and mini daffodils so you will get spring joy bringing back happy memories. good luck