I moved into a new house recently. It has a backyard that I was dying to transform. It's just the right size. Not too big, not too small. But that was one of its problems too. I didn't want a full-fledged garden because I knew I would not get the time to look after it. So I opted for a gorgeous rock garden instead. And now my backyard looks fabulous! So I thought of spreading the joy by mentioning some ideas for rock garden here. Read them, and the next time you think of re-doing your backyard, I'm sure you can use one of them.
Ideas for Rock Garden Landscaping
Creating a rock garden does not mean that you collect a bunch of rocks and dump them in your yard. Yes, it is a less messy landscaping option than normal gardening, but, mind you, it is just as time consuming and involves the same amount of effort and dedication to make it look picture perfect. Below are some ideas for a pretty rock garden that are not too difficult either.
Waterfall
Nothing like water to beautify your garden. Flowing water, to top it, will only further enhance the look! Note that this idea is for a small portion of your garden. So, begin with getting the right size and shapes of rocks. You'll need rocks that have a smooth finish for this idea. Different sizes is what I would suggest. Use medium-sized rocks to make a border for the area that you're going to use for the waterfall. Make a slope towards a corner with mud. Then place the rocks randomly or according to their sizes on the mud slope. You get ready-made waterfalls and waterfall pumps in gardening or interior decorating stores. Place one of those and camouflage it with similar colored rocks. Your corner waterfall is ready. Incorporate this idea in a Japanese garden and it'll have a breathtaking effect.
Flowers
Relax! I'm not going to ask you to carve flowers in rocks! My suggestion is to complement some dull rocks with vibrant flowers having bright colors! So, what you can do is, systematically fill your garden with smooth or crude rocks all around in such a way that it looks random. Leave patches for planting the flowering bushes and shrubs. Or you can work the other way round. It does not really make a difference because it isn't really messy. Then plant the shrubs and bushes in the patches. Go for evergreen flowering shrubs, so that your garden looks colorful all year round. I've used this idea. I've arranged the bushes in such a way that it depicts a star. You can pick a word or a shape too!
Cactus
This is one of those creative rock garden designs! You don't have to worry about watering the plants often. Pick some pretty varieties of cactus to adorn your rock garden. Cactus is extremely hardy and does not need to be watered regularly. There are different types of cactus that you can choose from. Some of them bear tiny colorful flowers too. You can have them potted in your rock garden or you can create a desert like theme. Plant cactus plants around the edges of your garden if you have kids. They might prick themselves by touching the plants. For this idea, it would be better to use small smooth rocks in pale brown or cream. It will give the garden a rusty look, and that's exactly the point.
Greens
Here's another idea which is quite the opposite of the previous one. This one will give you a lush green backyard punctuated with pretty white rocks, or vice versa. You can begin by laying down grass in your entire garden. Pick some spots for rocks. Establish a pattern when you leave the spots bare so that when you finally fill in the white (smooth finish) rocks, there's an elegant look of finesse to it. The exact inversion can be done too. Fill your garden with smooth rocks and leave spots bare for grass.
Pond
Having a pond in your rock garden is another fabulous idea. Design the garden with rocks of different colors, shapes and sizes. Reserve a corner for a small pond. By small, I mean small enough for maybe a bike to fit in, but please, not your boat! You can surround the pond with small flowering bushes to prevent anyone from going into it (yes, kids tend to try that). Or, if your garden is really big, you can have a pretty picket fence around the pond, with a gate for entering to clean it. A Koi pond will be a superb option for a big rock garden!
That's all the rock garden ideas that I could think of. I'm sure you'll have some fabulous ideas as well. Many people would love to read about them. So why not share them too?
