Creating and Caring for Rock Gardens
Some people may call Rock Gardens "old fashioned". Others, may call rock
gardening stylish and new. The truth of the matter is, rock gardens have
been around for a long, long time. And, they've always been "in style". Styles
change. Designs may change. But, rock gardening has always been, and probably
always will be, very popular among home owners and home gardeners.
Rock garden designs are limited only by your imagination. It may also be
limited by your ability to move that big boulder to an appropriate location
in your yard.
Home owners and home gardeners place rock gardens in the front yard and the
back yard. They create them along the house or garage, along a sidewalk,
or set off in the yard by itself. A rock garden may also be a attractive
garden berm. Rock gardens become an integral part of the home landscape design.
The Basics of a rock garden:
It's real simple, a rock garden employs rocks. You can use big rocks, small
rocks, matter of fact all kinds of rocks. Rocks come in unlimited shapes,
and a wide range of natural, earth tone colors. In creating a rock garden,
there is no right or wrong. You can take a big rock, or boulder, and build
a flower garden around it, creating a rock garden. Or, you can uses a
number of rocks to create a frame around your garden.... you now have a rock
garden. You can also use rocks to create a frame for a raised bed rock garden.
Rock gardens are popular on hillsides for terracing, and to stop soil
erosion.
The second thing you need is flowers for your rock garden. Key characteristics
for selecting flowers for your rock garden are:
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Size- most rock gardens utilize smaller plants. In general, for big rocks,
select bigger flowers. For small rocks, choose small flowers. The flowers
should always be smaller than the rock. Flowers should accent the rocks,
not hide them.
-
Flower Colors- Here's where the home gardener can get really creative and
stylish. Select flower colors to compliment or contrast with the rock colors
you have selected.
-
Perennials are the most popular flowers. They allow you to plant once, and
the perennials will grow for years undisturbed with little attention. You
can use herbs, too.
-
Plant Ph Range - Rock gardens and surrounding natural soil is often neutral
to slightly alkaline. For the best performance, select plants that
prefer slightly alkaline soil. If you bring in soil to fill your rock garden,
soil pH may not be an issue.
Flower selection should accent or highlight the rocks you have used.
Here are some recommended flowers for rock gardens:
Achillea
Cactus
Candytuft
Bellflower
Jacob's Ladder
Lavender
Miniature roses
Moss Rose
Phlox
Primrose
Rock Cress
Rock Soapwort
Snow-In-Summer
Note: You may find almost any flower could show well in a rock garden.
For example we've seen Black Eyed Susan and a variety of daisies perfectly
adorning large boulders. Clumps of Ornamental Grasses look great around large
boulders, too.
On occasion, a shrub may be used. Care should be taken, to assure to choose
a shrub that fits the rock garden design, and does not overcrowd the setting
or other plants.
More Information:
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