A crevice garden is a type of rock garden that emulates an alpine rock environment, where plants grow in crevices between slabs of rock. The slabs are set on end or at a slight angle, creating a dramatic effect. A crevice garden can be built on a mound, in a large pot, or as a distinctive substitute for a traditional rock wall.
The crevice garden concept was first popularized by Czech rock gardeners in the mid-1980s and is now spreading in popularity in the United States.
Crevice gardens have unique advantages over traditional rock gardens, a key benefit being water conservation. Plant roots travel deep into narrow crevices, thus providing more consistent moisture as well as protection from evaporation and fluctuating weather conditions on the surface. Once a crevice garden is established, maintenance is minimal.
The micro-climate created within crevices provides environmental conditions that allow a variety of alpine plants to thrive in our lowland gardens, thus allowing for preservation of plants that might be endangered from climate change in their native habitat.
We built two examples of crevice gardens from the ground up – one with quartzite flagstones and the other with urbanite (repurposed concrete) – and two more additional examples in planter boxes. Together, they show how different effects can be created by varying materials and designs.
Resources for more information:
- The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places, by Kenton Seth and Paul Spriggs, Filbert Press, 2022. A complete guide to all aspects of crevice gardening, including a detailed how-to section and illustrated list of plants.
- Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy, Port Townsend, video interview with Kenton Seth and Paul Spriggs about the crevice garden built at the Conservancy.
- Why You Should Try Crevice Gardening: ‘This Is the Future,’ New York Times, August 3, 2022.