Top 9 plants for gravel gardens

First is an upright perennial that loves to be surrounded by grasses or round headed flowers like dahlias. Plant in a sheltered position in full sun and protect if the temperature drops below -10 degrees. Then, they will flower in summer and autumn, growing to 60cm tall. When growing, they will be happy in any well-drained soil type.

This hardy herbaceous perennial will without a doubt brighten up your garden with its bell-shaped pink flower display. It’ll grow to 70cm in height in a sunny, but sheltered, spot. When planting the bulb, add grit to clay soil which will help with drainage.

As a medium sized clump-forming perennial, it will give you green foliage year-round and then yellow daisy-like flowers in summer. It’s happy in either sheltered or exposed sites in full sun but not a fan of clay soils. These evergreen plants will appreciate a prune after flowering to encourage more basal growth that will overwinter.

Sow these seeds in spring and you’ll be greeted with bright yellow flowers to enjoy throughout late summer into autumn too. What’s more, they are a self-seeding variety, so there’s no extra work with this plan. In fact, it’s even happy in poor soils. The common name comes from the prickly foliage, and the plant is also toxic when ingested so wear gloves to be safe.

Happy in full or partial sun in an exposed or sheltered spot, Calamagrostis will provide your gravel garden with background foliage. Green in spring, they bloom lilac flowers in summer and autumn with foliage taking on a yellow tinge in autumn. This versatile ornamental grass can be grown in containers as well as on banks and slopes.

Popular with pollinators, the clusters of purple flowers will add interest on top of upright stems in your gravel garden. Growing up to 2m in height, these plants will self-seed, so deadhead in autumn if you don’t want this to happen.

Plant the bulbs in groups in autumn and then in early spring you’ll be greeted with displays of blue flowers on slender stems. Growing to around 15cm in height, this perennial is a great way to begin springtime. Whether growing in a rock garden or naturalising under shrubs and trees, they’ll undoubtedly bring elegance to the space.

Suited to a sheltered spot in partial sun or shade, this is a clump-forming perennial that flowers in midsummer through to autumn. The deep blue-purple flowers are trumpet-shaped, that are well suited to other garden styles including cottage gardens. In addition, they prefer an acidic to neutral soil, so ensure your garden soil has the right nutrients for them to thrive.

Last is a medium sized perennial that will add bright colour throughout a gravel garden. It’ll look striking when contrasting with spiky plants like Agastache. Another pick for pollinators, the deep pink flowers with a dark centre are very attractive to bees.