How A Rock Garden Will Enhance Your Landscaping

Author Ken Zmijewski, Posted February 9, 2013

When it comes to landscape design, few things will make the type of statement that a rock garden will. This carefully constructed garden design features a variety of stones and large rocks that are chosen for their coloration and the pattern of lines going through their cross sections, as well as a selection of hearty, rock-loving plants. The colors of the rocks and the plants work together to create a touch of rustic, mountain life in an area that such concepts normally wouldn’t be found.
 
The rock garden will enhance your landscape design when it is properly installed
Even a small garden design can bring a touch of elegance and uniqueness to your landscape. Placed in an area that is visible from the street or home, the rock garden should feature a base of different rocks and plants that form a cohesive decorative pattern. The point of the rock garden is not only that the rocks form a base for a garden of plants, but that the rocks be likewise viewed around the plants. In this garden style, rock placement is as much a part of the overall garden as the plants themselves are.
 
With this understanding of rock garden design principles, you can see how the rock selection is important to this process. Rock garden owners frequently bring rocks in to suit their landscape design needs, although using existing stone features, troughs or walls in your yard can create a more natural setting.
 
When selecting the stones, you will want to look for both texture and coloration
Rock gardens usually are designed around a color scheme or a texture scheme to create a sense of unity in the overall garden. The chosen rocks are then normally placed on an artificially created slope to produce a layered effect for the viewing of the finished garden.
 
Once the rocks have been selected and wrestled into place, the landscape design then turns to those plants that will grow around and on the rocks you have installed. These rock-loving plants exist in many different cultures, each adding their own style to the garden.
 
For traditional approaches to this garden design, stick to plants that are all native to one geographic area. English rock gardens host different plants than American rock gardens will, while Asian designs feature their own colors and flares. Departure from the norm is acceptable in this garden design as well, with modern rock garden owners choosing instead to mix together a variety of plants with similar colors or features to produce unique appearances.
 
Spend some time deciding which plants you want to feature in your garden
You should make your decision based on color and how the plant behaves while growing. Plants that grow up as bushes will go well with river-rounded boulders, while plants that droop downward will fill in gaps nicely to create a waterfall effect around jagged stones. Mosses and other close-growing plants will provide excellent spots of color in rock crevices.
 
Creating your own rock garden will greatly enhance the landscape design of your yard. When properly installed, weeds should be at a minimum, and the section of the yard will never need to be mowed again. This delightful garden will bring a touch of the rustic quality you want to your home without requiring you to move to the mountains to enjoy it.