A ROCKERY can be a perfect fit for any garden and can be a nice centre piece of any garden or perhaps the edge of a lawn or perhaps against a back wall.

It can also be a feature of an area of the garden that is not draining particularly well but best if there is good adequate.

The position of your rockery is important as you don’t want to cover over existing drains or manhole covers that may require access at some point, if these are issues in your garden then better with a moveable container.

If the ground conditions are wet then perhaps the area needs some excavation first to create a type of drainage sump underneath the rockery or simply a channel filled with gravel to allow excess water to drain in to this area.

A rockery allows you to be creative in raising plants off the ground and planting them in little pockets.

Choosing the type of rocks you are going to use and the size will determine the type of rockery you are preparing.

It is better if the rocks are all of the same type. Large rocks should be stabilised by digging in to existing ground or cementing in but this is a more permanent feature.

You can decide on how high you want your rockery to be, height can be achieved by choosing taller growing plants to give appearance of height to your rockery.

Once all the rocks are in place you can add soil however if you have chosen large rocks you may have quite a depth of soil to fill, consider filling a level with grit or gravel to help the rockery drain.

A good free draining soil should be used and consider adding compost when planting.

Planting time is best in spring but it is ok to plant some alpines, heathers and evergreens but make sure they are watered well.

If planted well a rockery can be colourful and a brilliant feature in the garden with very little maintenance.

A rockery can be planted with plants that will give colour and flower all year round.

It is a good idea to study each type of plant for its ideal location, colour and time of year that you want plants to be in flower.

The autumn is a good time to plant small spring flowering bulbs within the rockery such as small daffodils, crocus or snowdrops.

The best plants for the rock garden are heathers or different varieties and different flowering times and colours, alpine plants such as Alyssum, Armeria, Potentilla or Veronica.

Sedum is a popular compact plant for rock gardens. It is ok to plant deciduous plants within rock gardens especially something with fantastic leaf colour such as Acer Palmatum with strong red leaf colour and small in size.

If you are planning to plant evergreen such as conifers then it is best to choose a dwarf variety or one that will give good ground cover, good ground cover plants assist with weed suppression and can also cover large areas of the rock garden.