Looking for a way to beautify your garden, while

making sure it remains easy to take care of? Rock gardening could

be perfect for you in the front yard or backyard. Rock gardens are especially practical in

areas of your yard which are quite dry, but can look great in

water run off areas as well. Adding rocks in these runoff areas

mimics the look of river beds.

It’s rather easy to create a rock garden, but it’s important that

you plan well. You should begin planning by choosing an area in

your yard for your rock garden location. Then decide on

which plants and rocks to put in your garden.

Small river rocks and pebbles work very well most of the time as

a rock garden bed. Some people like to keep the color, size, and

shape of the rocks and pebbles similar throughout the entire rock

garden, while others just collect any rocks that they like and

use them. It’s up to you what you do.

The rock gardens that tend to look the best have small pebbles

and stones as a base, with plants sprouting between some of them.

Then, larger rocks and plants can be strategically placed to be

focal points, for shade, and for style.

By placing a few larger rocks or small boulders throughout the

garden create interest and variety, while also making it possible

to add a fountain or small stream. You can then plant moss or

other unique plants on the boulders close to the water. The

larger rocks can add plenty of options to what you can do with

your garden.

Before actually creating the rock garden, you need to completely

clear the area that you chose to create it. Clearing it refers

to pulling weeds and the roots of weeds, as well as any other

debris that may be in the area. You should be left with just

blank dirt, but it will be created into a beautiful space soon

enough.

Next, you will place the plants into the areas of the cleared

dirt where you will want them to grow. Being a rock garden,

plants are not the main focus, so there should be small plants

placed sporadically. It is a mistake to have too many plants too

close together.

The next step after the plants are in the ground are to place the

larger rocks or boulders in their chosen locations. Once the

large rocks are in place, you will lay down the layer of base

rocks or pebbles. This layer can be as thick or thin as you

wish, but it is important that it hugs the edge of the plants and

larger rocks as closely as possible. You may think that the rock

base is too close to the plants, but the plants in the garden

will naturally grow through the rocks, so it’s no problem for

them to be very close.

Finally, you can adjust the details of your rock garden to create

the desired focal points and style. One possibility is to use

water by creating streams or using fountains. Other

possibilities are to use pieces of driftwood, or even old wagon

wheels. You can use your imagination to design your own creative

space!

Keith Markensen examines the world of backyard landscape ideas and shares his decades of landscape knowledge at http://www.Plant-Care.com where you can always find professional houseplant care and landscaping advice online.

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