Beth Chatto Style Gravel Garden: Plant List & Layout

A gravel garden inspired by Beth Chatto’s famous Essex garden offers colour, texture and resilience, even in dry summers. By using the principle of ‘right plant, right place’, you can create a border that looks good all year with minimal watering.

Key principles

• Drought-tolerant species that thrive in poor, free-draining soils.
• Dense planting to suppress weeds and shade soil.
• Naturalistic design — flowing drifts of plants rather than single specimens.

Suggested plant list

• Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ – upright purple spires.
• Sedum spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’ – late-season nectar source.
• Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage) – silver foliage, blue flowers.
• Stipa tenuissima – airy grasses for movement.
• Echinacea purpurea – bold daisy flowers, wildlife friendly.
• Verbena bonariensis – tall, airy structure.
• Achillea millefolium ‘Terracotta’ – flat heads, loved by insects.
• Lavandula angustifolia – aromatic and drought-proof.
• Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ – silver foliage contrast.
• Erigeron karvinskianus – long flowering daisies for groundcover.

Layout ideas

• Front edge: low plants like Erigeron, Lavandula, Sedum.
• Middle layer: Salvia, Achillea, Echinacea.
• Back layer: Verbena, Perovskia, Stipa.

Maintenance

Cut grasses and perennials back in late winter. Avoid feeding — these plants perform best in lean soils. Add new gravel mulch every few years to keep weeds down.

Get planting advice from MyGardenTeam