An evolving feature
The 0.6ha (1.5 acres) Rock Garden at Ness Botanic Gardens, South Wirral, was created in 1898 as a typical rock garden, but has now evolved into a mixture of alpines, herbaceous and woody plants.
Sandstone, raised peat beds, Tufa and limestone give a mix of habitats, from wet valleys to sunny slopes. The garden is at its best in spring, when the central alpine meadow is filled with Narcissi, but summer highlights include irises and late-flowering primulas.
Visit a rock garden....by railway
_rev_940x627.jpg?width=520&height=346 "The rock garden at Exbury Gardens")
The 0.8ha (2 acres) rock garden at Exbury Gardens, Hampshire, is the largest man-made rock garden in Europe, and was largely built by Lionel de Rothschild in the 1920s and 30s.
In March, enjoy Pieris, dwarf daffodils and dwarf rhododendrons; by September, Yucca, Grevillea rosmarinifolia and Arbutus x andrachnoides keep the season going. For a bird's eye view, take a trip on the Exbury railway, which skirts the top of the rock garden.
From conifers to ferns
The Rock Garden at Wentworth Garden Centre and Historic Gardens, South Yorkshire, was created within and around an old stone quarry in about 1868.
Elements of the original planting still remain - particularly conifers and acers - but more recent plantings revolve around ferns, hostas, phormiums, hardy geraniums and grasses, complemented by ponds, pools and cascades.
Spectacular Mount Stuart
The 0.8ha (2 acres) Rock Garden at Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute, was designed by the English landscape architect Thomas Mawson in the late 1890s, and is particularly colourful in April/May and autumn.
The series of cascading waterfalls and reflective pools are a remarkable feat of engineering, as the water is diverted from a stream half a mile away via stone drains. The Rock Garden is home to interesting Asiatic specimens including Magnolia doltsopa, Reevesia pubescens and Stewartia species.
A Dorset gem
The extensive 1920s Rock and Water Garden at Compton Acres, Dorset, is a patchwork of contrasting shapes, colours and foliage forms with year-round appeal.
Among the naturalistic plantings and features are a stream and pool crossed by rustic bridges, more than 300 different types of rock plants, mature conifers, and a fine bronze of 'Solitaire' the dancer.
Bulbs and bridges
The Edwardian rock garden at Winterbourne House and Garden, Birmingham, took advantage of a natural drop, allowing for different levels, steps and stepping stones. The impressive leaves of Gunnera manicata flourish by the small pool, alongside the bright yellow spathes of Lysichiton americanus.
In spring, orange and pink candelabra primulas are preceded by dwarf azaleas, Cyclamen coum and early flowering bulbs on the upper levels. A Japanese-style oak bridge spans the lower rock garden, allowing access to the native woodland area.
A taste of the fellside
Holehird Gardens, Cumbria, is well known to lovers of alpine plants. Highlights of its large rock garden - part of a broader 0.2ha fellside garden - include many mature dwarf rhododendrons, the showy blooms of Paeonia mlokosewitschii, bright clusters of Primula pulverulenta by the side of the cascade, and a fine specimen of Acer shirasawanum ‘Aureum’.
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