Why Make a Backyard Rock Garden?
If you have found that it is hard to keep things growing in your garden, or that you don’t have the time or energy to maintain your garden, making a backyard rock garden would be a very good option for you. They are ideal for areas with bad soil or little rain, simply because rocks don’t grow. The plants that you include in your garden are very resilient, and designed for areas that don’t have the best soil and don’t have a huge amount of moisture.
Making a Plan for your Backyard Rock Garden
Before buying anything, you will want to have at least a general idea of what you want your garden to look like. There are different styles of rock gardens, such as Japanese rock gardens, or rock and water gardens, or cactus rock gardens. Look at some pictures online to see what you like and what will fit in the space you have for your rock garden. Consider the balance of sizes of rocks, and the proportion of rocks to plants. If you are including water features, make sure you can afford to maintain them. Make a drawing of your desired rock garden, being attentive to things such as the placement of large and small rocks, and the location of plants and other features you would like to include.
Supplies for Building your Backyard Rock Garden: Rocks
The main supply you will need to build your backyard rock garden is obviously rocks. Pick a color scheme or set of colors that you want your rocks to be in, or decide that you don’t care what colors the rocks are. Then call some nurseries or landscaping places in your area and find out from them where you can purchase rocks (from large boulders to little pebbles, depending on what you want). Another option for boulders, which can be expensive, is to call construction companies in your area and see if they have any work sites where they have unearthed boulders the would be willing to let you take.
Supplies for Building your Backyard Rock Garden: Plants
Your plants are what make your backyard rock garden interesting, and there are a variety of plants that will do well in a rock garden. You should consider putting in a tree or two that can offer some shade if you will be spending time in your rock garden. Other than that, you will want mostly smaller plants, typically of the variety that creep along the ground or your rocks. Mosses of different types are a good option, as are grasses, thyme, and many varieties of annual and perennial flowers. Consider what range of colors you will be planting, in addition to when the flowers come up on any flowering plants. Your local nursery will be able to provide you with whatever you need and give you tips on what grows best in your particular climate.
Tips for Making your Backyard Rock Garden
You will want to clear the area before you begin, ideally getting it all the way down to bare dirt. Large plants should go in first, before the area is covered in rocks. Smaller plants can wait and be planted between and around the rocks you put it. Then you will want to place your large boulders, which may require special equipment, depending on their size. Most boulders, unless they have a large flat surface on the bottom, will need to be partially underground to get the desired look. Once your boulders are in, the rest of it is just being creative with your smaller rocks and plants to make a garden that you like!
