Though many rock gardens comprise combinations of plants and hardy succulents packaged in a rocky setting, there are lots of distinct sizes, types and fashions of rock gardens.
A rock garden, also called an alpine garden or rockery, comprises stones and boulders with dwarf shrubs and low-growing or creeping plants. Traditional rock gardens are planted at high altitudes in which they need to resist the rigors of heat, high winds and drought. A rock garden could incorporate the whole landscape or function as an accent piece. The planting medium generally is sandy, rocky and nearly soilless.