Dry stone walls can be built as freestanding structures or for supporting a bank. The former will require reasonably substantial foundations if they are more than a few courses high and their construction may need to be undertaken by a professional. Walls built up against banks for effect, rather than a support to unstable ground, are easier to construct. They should be built slightly away from the bank and all stones laid slightly sloped back for stability with free-draining

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

Ideally, plant as the dry wall is being built, layer by layer. Roots can then be spread out and covered with 2.5cm (½in) of a suitable soil mix, such as equal parts good loam, peat substitute and sharp grit. Before adding the next layer of stones, place a few pebbles around the roots to keep the joint open. However, keep crevices within the wall small to prevent soil being washed out from behind. Alternatively, plants can be pushed into crevices after construction. When planting allow for plant growth and trailing habit. 

Selections cover the more suitable species (and their cultivars) avoiding the more vigorous kinds.

Where only the genus (for example Sempervivum) is given all species within the genus are considered suitable, and where a species is listed, any of its cultivars may also be considered.

AGM Denotes plants which have received the Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Trailing or mat forming plants

Acantholimon
Achillea × lewisii ‘King Edward’ AGM
Aethionema grandiflorum Pulchellum Group AGM
Alchemilla alpina, A. erythropoda AGM
Alyssum montanum 'Berggold'
Anacyclus pyrethrum var. depressus AGM
Androsace lanuginosa AGM, A. studiosorum AGM
Antennaria dioica, A. parvifolia
Arabis
Arenaria balearica (partial shade)
Artemisia schmidtiana ‘Nana’ AGM,
Asarina procumbens
Aubrieta deltoidea
Aurinia saxatilis
Azorella trifurcata
Campanula cochleariifolia AGM, C. garganica AGM, C. portenschlagiana AGM, C. poscharskyana
Cerastium alpinum var. lanatum
Chrysanthemum weyrichii
Convolvulus sabatius AGM
Cymbalaria muralis (shade)
Daphne cneorum
Draba aizoides, D. bruniifolia
Dryas octopetala 'Minor' AGM
Geranium dalmaticum AGM, G. sanguineum var. striatum AGM
Gypsophila repens ‘Fratensis’
Haplopappus glutinosus
Helianthemum ‘Amy Baring’ AGM, H. ‘Ben More’ (other cultivars are more vigorous)
Iberis sempervirens
Linaria alpina
Glandora prostrata ‘Grace Ward’ AGM, Glandora prostrata ‘Heavenly Blue’ AGM (acid soils only)
Mitchella repens (shade only)
Persicaria affinis
Phlox douglasii ‘Crackerjack’ AGM, P. subulata
Potentilla × tonguei AGM
Pterocephalus perennis
Saponaria ocymoides AGM
Saxifraga callosa AGM, S. ‘Cloth of gold’ (exarata subsp. moschata)
Sedum spurium
Silene uniflora
Tanacetum densum subsp. amani
Thymus

Non-trailing plants

Arenaria montana AGM
Armeria
Aster alpinus AGM
Astragalus
Campanula betulifolia AGM, C. carpatica AGM, C. tommasiniana AGM
Chrysogonum virginianum (shade)
Corydalis lutea, C. ochroleuca (shade)
Dianthus
Edraianthus
Erinus alpinus AGM
Erodium
Erysimum
Euryops acraeus AGM
Ferns - Asplenium, Adiantum venustum AGM, Blechnum penna-marina AGM, Cheilanthes tomentosa, Polypodium (shade)
Globularia
Haberlea rhodopensis AGM (shade)
Jasione laevis
Jovibarba
Lewisia cotyledon AGM (shade)
Onosma alborosea
Physoplexis comosa AGM
Phyteuma nigrum
Ramonda (shade)
Saxifraga cotyledon, S. paniculata
Scabiosa graminifolia
Sedum spathulifolium ‘Cape Blanco’ AGM, S. spathulifolium ‘Purpureum’ AGM, S. spurium 'Atropurpureum',
Sempervivum
Umbilicus oppositifolius (shade)
Veronica umbrosa ‘Georgia Blue’ AGM
Vitaliana primuliflora
Zauschneria californica ‘Dublin’ AGM