- Delicate southern maidenhair ferns contrast with boulders.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
Contrast the coarse, hard surface of a boulder with shade-loving plants that are fine-textured, delicate and visually soft. Boulders surrounded by mondo grass, bugleweed groundcovers or masses of ferns -- a species small enough so it does not cover up more than one-third of the rock's face -- create a soothing, natural look. Variously colored hostas and coral bells, with their wide array of leaf colors, can complement the trace colors within the boulder itself. - Yucca's coarse, pointy foliage is in stark contrast to a boulder.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
In a hot, sunny landscape with boulders, create a desert theme. Many species of agave, yucca and prickly pear cacti are cold hardy and can be used in a variety of hardiness zones. Plant them among the boulders to create a random, natural look, as though the garden has been there for hundreds of years. Alternatively, surround the base of the boulders with creeping sedum or succulent hens-and-chicks. - Across the Great Plains, outcroppings of boulders occasionally interrupt the flat ocean of wildflowers and grasses. Bring this look into your landscape with wispy, low-growing wildflowers that soften the boulders and add seasonal interest. Choose from blanket flower, purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, bachelor's buttons, daisy and goldenrod. Numerous ornamental clumping grasses contrast either upright or arching plumes behind the rounded edges of rock. Muhly grass, northern sea oats, maiden grass and blue sheep fescue make soft-textured companions around large boulders.
- In addition to grays and beiges, boulders can have subtle tones or streaks of red, blue, white or lavender. Choose an array of garden perennials and dwarf shrubs, especially dwarf conifers, to plant around the rocks. Make sure taller plants, such phlox, beebalm and aster are placed behind or to the side of the boulders. Situate shorter plants, such as creeping phlox, candytuft or other small alpine wildflowers in front. Dwarf blue spruce and bearded irises, with their blue to purple tones, will complement any reddish rock and blend in with gray or bluish stones. Hollyhocks' vertical stems give height between boulders or in the background. Experiment with a mixture of shrubs and perennials, considering each boulder as a permanent shrub component in the design. Remember, the plants are movable if you want to change the garden composition.
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