Making Your Garden Look Fantastic

Rock Gardens: A Simple Landscaping Project for Showing Off Beautiful Stones

26 September 2017

Philip Newman

There are lots of different elements you can use in landscaping design, but of all the durable, long-lasting, minimum-effort materials, stonework is hard to beat. And while there are plenty of ways to use it in your garden, the best way to show off attractive stone is to create a rock garden.

Rock gardens, or rockeries as they're sometimes called, are a great landscaping project for all ability levels because it's pretty hard to go wrong. It's simple to get an attractive result, and you can experiment moving things around until you achieve something you like.

To get you started, here are the different elements to think about as you go.

Preparation

Before you do anything else, decide exactly where your rock garden is going to go, and clear the space thoroughly. Make sure it's completely free of weeds, but don't worry too much about evening out the soil. Any uneven patches can be fixed as you go or incorporated into your finished design.

The rocks

Since they'll be the main feature of a rock garden, it's important to choose the right stones. The good news is that the choice is really up to you. You can use any rocks you like the look of, and you don't need to stick to just one type.

In fact, a mix of different rocks can look great, particularly if you vary the sizes as well. Even flat stones intended for building walls or paving can be used to good effect in a rockery. There's no need to cement them in place, just arrange them as you see fit and then press them into the soil, perhaps building up a little around them to keep them in place. Remember to leave some spaces for planting.

Plants

There are two main plant categories that are good for rock gardens: alpines and succulents. Alpine plants suit cooler climates, while succulents are better for warm and dry places. Sometimes you can successfully grow both together, but be prepared to replace any plants that don't survive. Choose small plants that won't grow fast and get too big, unless you're prepared for constant trimming.

Extra touches

Some people choose to add a water feature to their rock garden, although it's not essential and the garden will still look great without one. If you do, make sure it doesn't overwater any plants that prefer dry conditions.

To add a bit more variety, you can add stone statues, broken pots, and other items that enhance the overall effect. It's a good way to use up any plant pots that have accidentally been broken.

Finally, if you like the look of aged stones, you can encourage moss and lichen growth by covering rocks in yoghurt or beer, repeating every few days until you start to see changes.

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