Today’s Garden Ideas

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A rock garden can be a beautiful addition to any landscape and they are also extremely easy to maintain. However, many people believe that all you have to do is put some rocks down, plant a few shrubs if you choose and watch it thrive. To ensure that you have a beautiful rock garden that will stand the test of time, you must follow a few basic steps and avoid a few common pitfalls. This is the only way to be sure that you will have your own Zen-filled area right in your own yard!

The first step in creating a rock garden is of course choosing the rocks you want to use. This is a relatively easy task as just about type of rock will do. Limestone has proven to do especially well in these types of gardens whereas common field boulders and river gravel are probably the worst types of rocks to use. Once the rocks have been selected, it’s best to draw out how you imagine your rock garden will look like. You can use this as a layout when it comes time to actually create your garden. Don’t choose designs that seem unnatural. You can still have something unique without making it look awkward.

The next step is to choose a site and mark off where you want it to be. You can do this with either paint spray or chalk. Once you have chosen the site, the area should be dug out to about a foot down. The hole can then be filled with stones that have been broken up, terra cotta, or large gravel. If you know where you want the rocks to be a little higher for the final result, you can pile them a little higher during this stage. Next to be added to the garden should be a layer of sand or small pieces of gravel that have been rinsed in water. This will provide drainage, which any shrubs or plants added to the garden will absolutely need. A layer of soil must then be added on top. This soil will find its way to the bottom and fill in air pockets along the way so that roots do not find their way into them and grow where you do not want them to.

After the layers have been filled in, rocks can be placed around the edge in a non-uniform pattern. Pile some high, while keeping others to just single rocks and interchange the types of rocks that you find. Fill any spaces around the edge with soil and rinse it through again. Fill in the edge of rocks with large rocks along the ground and make sure that they are firm in the soil so that they can be walked on without moving. Make sure to keep the width and height of rocks different to keep it interesting but fill in all holes with soil so that the rocks stay where they should. Once all of your rocks have been placed and empty spaces filled with soil, scatter small stones over the entire area. This will help to keep moisture in, making any plants thrive and will also add another layer of beauty to your wonderful rock garden!