Photo by Tom Deacon

To make a high-impact, low-maintenance gravel garden:

1. Select a sunny site.
2. Make sure the drainage is excellent?gritty, sandy soil is ideal.
3. Add a small amount of humusy soil to give the plants a good start.
4. Choose drought-tolerant plants?those with succulent, silver, fuzzy or needled foliage are usually best.
5. Lay landscape cloth over any areas where weeds or self-seeding plants aren?t wanted.
6. Cover the entire surface with pea gravel; a few large boulders here and there add emphasis and provide microclimates for more tender plants.

Tom Deacon?s top performing gravel-loving plants.

Statuesque

• Brazilian verbena (Verbena bonariensis) *
• Foxtail lily (Eremerus stenophyllus)
• Giant silver mullein (Verbascum bombyciferum) *
• Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
• Thistle (Onopordum)

Spiky

• Asphodeline (Asphodeline damascena)
• Bear?s breeches (Acanthus hungaricus)
• ?Golden Sword? yucca (Yucca)
• Red-hot poker (Kniphofia), especially ?Shining Sceptre? and ?Alcazar?

Silvery

• ?Big Ears? lamb?s ears (Stachys byzantina)
• Globe thistle (Echinops)
• Miss Wilmott?s ghost (Eryngium giganteum)
• ?Munstead Blue? lavender (Lavandula)
• Sea holly (Eryngium planum, E. alpinum; E. bourgatii; E. amethystinum ?Sapphire Blue?) *
• Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
• Silver sage (Salvia argentea)

Soft

• Canada wormwood (Artemisia canadensis)
• ?Cragg-Barber Eye? artemisia (A. vulgaris)
• ?Gracillimus? maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis)

Succulent

• Bergenia (Bergenia cordifolia)
• Hens and chicks (Sempervivum)
• Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa)
• Stonecrop (Sedum)
  

Those marked * will self-sow in sandy spots and pathways.