Large gravel is a bit more difficult to plant in IME. At least with my technique; hold plant with thumb & middle finger, make a trench with index finger. Then put plant roots in trench & backfill to cover roots with index while still holding plant. I plant a bit deep & gently pull up the plant until crown (where roots & leaves meet) is at or ever so slightly above substrate.
Plants like java fern & anubias have a "rhizome" (a sideways stem where both roots & leaves originate). Either can be attached to rock or wood (attached with thread, fishing line or gel super glue), so gravel isn't an issue. But both can be planted as long as the rhizome is NOT buried at all. In this case large gravel can be an advantage, it's easy to put a pebble or 2 on the roots to hold it in place. Both are also low light plants so it won't matter much what lighting you have.
Ground cover plants will be almost impossible with that gravel but they're more difficult in others ways too.
Oh, I see you were typing as I was (& making dinner, lol). A grass like plant I find easy is "Italian spiral vallisneria" & depending on light, some of the "easy stem plants" & java fern "narrow"
