Zone 5/6
Selection Criteria: These are plants for a “traditional” rock garden, i.e., sunny and with a free draining soil. They will not necessarily thrive in ordinary sunny borders, but will, in a rock garden setting, be relatively long-lived without special care beyond their placement in an appropriate setting (or re-establish by seed in an appropriate manner in the case of a few species). Other criteria are that plants must not be rapacious self-sowers or spread quickly into large, suffocating mats, but their form must be in character for a rock garden including small mats, buns, or tufts, mostly with showy flowers and also, in most cases, evergreen foliage attractive for most of the year. In addition, these are mostly available as plants from sources likely to be known to beginners. Ericaceous plants are not listed much of the region has calcareous soils, and also not listed are bulbs or plants suitable for a shady rock garden.