Gardening can be a great stress reliever and beautifier for homeowners of every age and skill level. Pollinator gardens and vegetable gardens are hugely popular, but if you want to try your hand at something a little less conventional and very eye-catching, perhaps it’s time to build a rock garden.
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What is a Rock Garden?
Simply put, a rock garden features rocks, unlike most gardens that feature plants and greenery. That’s not to say that there aren’t plants involved, but they’re far outweighed by other elements of nature.
“Any garden featuring rocks artistically is theoretically a rock garden,” says Panayoti Kelaidis, president of the North American Rock Garden Society and senior curator and director of outreach at the Denver Botanic Gardens. “In the narrowest, most literal sense, rock gardening is the art of creating a natural setting in a home or institutional garden featuring rocks placed carefully to suggest a mountain landscape. They permit gardeners to grow a wide range of showy plants that require the proximity of rocks and microclimates that such gardens prefer.
“A well designed rock garden is a four-season wonder, beautiful even in winter. And plants glow in them like jewels.”
The Benefits of Rock Gardens
Rock gardeners will tell you there are nearly no drawbacks to rock gardens; they’re almost pure benefit. Since they generally use little water, need very simple care once established and can work in some of the most difficult terrain, they’re great for gardeners across the country. But they also can help you grow certain types of plants more effectively.
“Well placed rocks of different sizes can provide microclimates for plants if placed carefully, so, for example, a plant requiring shade can be placed beside one needing sun if placed in the shade of a rock,” says Nicola Ripley, executive director at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail, Colorado. “Rocks can also warm up more than the soil and provide a warm shelter for a slightly less hardy species. In addition, the current trend of crevice gardening, generally used to describe the vertical use of rock in a rock garden, can help drainage and provide a deep root run for plants.”
For plants that like dry conditions, rock gardens are almost all win. The lack of plant density, though, can limit how much food is available for pollinators. Although this might be an issue if every garden was a rock garden on your street, having a few rock gardens spaced out actually helps by giving pollinators additional nesting sites. Think about providing a water source for resting pollinators. Some rock gardens are built around water features such as ponds or waterfalls.
“Rock gardens provide a habitat for pollinators and insects, like ground dwelling bees, that actually live in the environments created by the rocks and gravelly soil,” says Mike Kintgen, curator of alpine collections at the Denver Botanic Gardens.
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Designing a Rock Garden from Scratch
Creating a garden with rocks may feel overwhelming, but it’s fairly straightforward. It’s important to choose rocks that complement each other and to use various sizes of rocks, but otherwise, making them look like they belong in the space is the key.
“Some of the most impressive rock gardens are those that blend in with the surrounding landscape,” says Hans Hansen, director of new plant development at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan. “Some locations have existing rocks jutting out of the landscape that may be incorporated into a lovely rock garden. The most harmonious are constructed using flat rocks that look natural and are the same color.”
Whatever you do, Hansen says, don’t force your rock garden onto the landscape. Instead, design it to move with the terrain for a more natural look.
“If you are bringing in large or even moderate size stones, it is important to bury a portion of them underground to give the illusion they have been part of the existing layout,” Hansen says. “That way it doesn’t look like someone just dumped a pile of stones on the lawn.”
Before you go big with a rock garden, you should think small, experts recommend. Trying out a rock garden on a smaller scale can help you develop an eye for proper balance and flow.
“The bulk of the work of rock gardening takes place in the design and construction phase,” says Kelaidis. “The artistic placement of rocks is a skill that takes practice. I suggest designing miniature gardens in containers first.
“There are three keys to placing rocks. First, rocks should vary dramatically in size with a few very large ones grading down to gravel size. Nothing is more boring than a rock garden consisting of the same size and shape. Second, rocks must be firmly anchored. Third, they should echo one another in placement.”
In addition to rocks, your rock garden will likely include plants. Anything that’s drought tolerant or prefers rocky sites is a potential candidate, though some plants do better than others overall.
Nancy Trautz-Awot, horticulture specialist at Burpee Gardening in Warminster, Pennsylvania, has a number of recommendations for rock garden plants. For annuals, she likes alyssum, zinnia, marigold, salvia and portulaca. Perennials Trautz-Awot loves in rock gardens include lamium, creeping thyme, sedum, ice plant, vinca minor, lavender, coreopsis, achillea, veronica, echinacea, shasta daisy, salvia and gaillardia.
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How Much Does a Rock Garden Cost?
The cost of your backyard rock garden depends on which rocks you choose and the size of your garden. Boulders add height and dramatic effect; river rocks promote good drainage; pea gravel is a good choice for large areas; and flagstones make good walkways and paths.
Here’s an idea of what you’ll spend on material and installation, according to home improvement network and information company Angi. You can save on delivery and labor by doing some or all of the work yourself:
The Care and Maintenance of Rock Gardens
Although rocks seem to be the easiest things in the world to take care of, there is some maintenance required in a rock garden, just like any garden.
“Rock gardens are low maintenance if you stay on top of them,” says Kintgen. “Generally, just some light weeding is needed. If you use slow-growing plants, they don’t require too much cutting back to stay in bounds and not overgrow each other. You may also need to do some deadheading after plants bloom.”
How you set up your rock garden will also influence how much work you have to put into it later.
“Rock gardens tend to need less maintenance because of the nature of the plants within them, since they’re hardy, perennial and drought tolerant,” says Ripley. “If a rock garden is mulched with pea gravel or crushed rock then maintenance is reduced because the garden will be less weedy and require less watering.”
Is a Rock Garden Right for You?
Getting started with a rock garden can be both exciting and overwhelming, but you’re not alone on your adventure. Check your local botanical gardens to see how they’ve built their rock gardens, look at rock gardens online and, most importantly, join a rock garden association, like the North American Rock Garden Society (NARGS).
By becoming a member of a rock garden group, you’ll not only have access to the wisdom and experience of other gardeners, but NARGS offers bonuses like membership seed exchanges and lists of nurseries that offer rock garden plants, and many chapters will have plant sales throughout the year to help get your garden off on the right foot.
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How to Create a Rock Garden originally appeared on usnews.com
