Rock Gardens - Adding Rock Gardens to Your Landscape

If you are not sure what to do with a particular spot in your landscape, you may want to consider a rock garden. Unlike traditional green gardens, rock gardens are easy to care for. There's no watering, no fertilization and no maintenance of any kind required.

Creating a Rock Garden

Your first step will be acquiring rocks for your garden. If you do not currently have rocks on your property, you may be able to get some from a construction or excavating company. Many of these companies remove rocks from their job sites and have nowhere to put them. They may even be willing to give the rocks away for free.

If you want a particular type of stone, try visiting local quarries or landscape supply companies in your area. They usually sell landscaping rocks and different types of stone. You may even be able to have the rocks delivered right to your home.

Before assembling your rock garden, you will want to properly prepare the surface. Simply clear away any plants that are located in the spot that the rock garden will be built. If you want a natural look to your rock garden, dig a few holes. You can settle rocks into these holes to make them appear firmly grounded. You can also stack or lean rocks against one another to create rock garden formations.

Here are some additional tips to help you organize your rock garden:

• To make rock gardens appear more natural, use rocks that have common shapes and colors.
• If you don't like a particular arrangement, simple rearrange the rocks until you have achieved the look you want.
• Be extremely careful when moving heavy rocks. Use a dolly to prevent back injuries.
• To create a more interesting rock garden, add plants, wood, or mulch between rocks.
• Choose plants for your rock garden based on your climate and available sunlight.

Rock Gardens as Landscape Solutions

Just about everybody has a place in their yard where plants or grass won't grow. Perhaps it's too shady, too sunny, or maybe it's just bad soil. Whatever the problem may be, a rock garden may be the perfect landscape solution. Rocks can be arranged into almost any type of design and can provide an interesting focal point for your yard.