The Small Joy of Having a Rock Garden

Succulents and other plants from the mountains

When other girls started using make-up and dressing up for school events, I created this rock garden in my free time. Back then when my parents first rented this garden plot I spend a lot of time together with my dad cleaning up the garden and making it pretty.

While my dad was always more focused on sustainability planting all kinds of vegetables, herbs, and fruits, I was the one bringing beauty around the terrace planting flowers and cutting down some bushes.

Being fascinated by the Alps I came up with the idea of creating a rock garden just next to the entrance of the garden. Over the years a few plants from the Alps have thrived among rocks in all colors and burnt pieces of wood.

I love succulents and small wildflowers found on the meadows and rocky slopes of the mountains and got inspired from countless hikes through the Alps in creating my own little mountainous environment.

When I left Germany and ended up living for several years in Africa my dad took over my job and kept the rock garden alive. Together with the help of his brother who’s a gardener himself he looked after the plants. The rock garden itself doesn’t need much care since most of the flowers are living in the wild freely but some weeding is necessary from time to time.

My mom also made my dad carry some rocks down from the Alps to fill in the garden (because where we live there are no rocks?!)

However, I do appreciate the time and effort he put into the rock garden to keep him not only alive but thriving. Every year he plants some new flowers. He sends me pictures and sometimes I give advice on what fits where better or less.

Today I was the one having time to care for the garden. I cleaned out all the weeds and reduced those wildflowers that were taking over. I made space for the Gentians to grow and breathe.

Whenever my dad finds an interesting piece of wood he doesn’t just use it as firewood but he burns it slightly to make it last longer and prevent it from rotting. Then he places it in the rock garden. Those features do look really good in between all the succulents.

At the moment the Edelweiss is shining in the garden. Three plants of Edelweiss are spread across the rock garden blooming now in clean white.

As a traveler I do not get the chance to grow a garden myself these days so I do enjoy it even more when visiting my parents and seeing this little piece, I created years ago, thriving.

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