How to Plant a Rock Wall

Give your rock wall a little more character by planting moss, trailing vines or succulents in the cracks. Not only will it look colorful, the plant roots will solidify the rock wall. Planting a rock wall is as simple as creating a peat paste and sticking some appropriate plants in the cracks.

Things You'll Need

• Potting soil
• Peat moss
• Water
• Plants
• Trowel

Instructions

1. Choose plants that adapt well to rock gardens such as Columbine, Phlox, Snow-in-Summer, Creeping Baby's Breath or Stonecrop. Moss does very well in damp, shady areas. 2 or 3 different varieties looks nice; too many different types of plants will make the wall appear busy.

2. Mix potting soil, peat moss and water together to create a "peat paste." It should be wet enough to spread easily.

3. Line the cracks with the peat paste before inserting plants. If the cracks are very tight you may want to carefully dig out some of the mortar and replace it with garden soil.

4. Cover the root ball of your chosen plant thoroughly with the peat paste using a hand trowel.

5. Insert the root ball into a crack in the rock wall. Push it in as much as you can and add more peat paste around it to fill in any air holes. You may need to break up individual plants.

6. Water the plants on the wall to encourage growth. Keep the soil moist until the plants have established themselves.