Landscaping
your yard into a miniature rock garden is one of the most effective ways of
making use of the rocks and boulders in your garden! Sculpting a rock garden,
commonly called a rockery, is a rather captivating process because of the
immense versality of mere rocks that can be crafted to your liking. Rock
gardens seem to sturdy and substantial because the rocks don’t fall apart when
exposed to hard weather conditions and don’t attract pests and other insects
like your usual flower pot or shrub would do. However, the mass of the heavier
rocks can cave into the ground and push the soil around its body. To combat
this, smaller rocks and stones can be used in its stead, evenly distributed the
weight throughout the area!
If you’re looking to ramp up your garden, give it a rustic appearance and create a beautiful space for a heavy flora-fauna co-existence, read ahead for some tips on how to style your space!
If you’re looking to ramp up your garden, give it a rustic appearance and create a beautiful space for a heavy flora-fauna co-existence, read ahead for some tips on how to style your space!
1. Rock Garden Terraces
Building a rock garden terrace can be quite a laborious task but is all worth it with its result of presenting a very neat aesthetic. When building a terrace of this sort, it is important to make a proper note of the measurements of the Run (Run is the horizontal measurement from between the hilltop to the bottom) and Rise (The vertical measurement from the bottom of the step to the top of it). Looking at the prospective problems of drainage, soil retention and your specific choice of plants plays a huge part in this process. Using herbs like thyme, lavender and sage and other low-growing plants will thrive with garden beds that may have a tendency of water pressure from higher levels inadvertently pushing soil down. Perforated pipes can be used to combat this issue!
Different rocks can be used at different places in the pond. Rocks that have a rough texture can be used as stepping stones for people to peer in and the smooth ones can be used for ponds that may have a waterfall on it. Water plants like water lilies and the floating frogbit can be placed on still water that may not necessarily be flowing! The rocks can also be used to build a very impressive rock border around the pond which can get your creative juices flowing!
2. Garden Ponds with Rocks
Gardens look the absolute best when smooth rocks outline a tiny ponding teeming with symbiotic life. This co-existence looks magical because of the focal point that enhances all yards whatsoever! With garden ponds, it’s extremely important to level the pond perimeter to close any tolerances and this can be done with boulders and other larger rocks to close any major crevices. The ponds can be standalone waterfalls or basins and can also hold small aquatic life that facilitate a constant transfer of nutrients from flora to fauna and vice versa.
Different rocks can be used at different places in the pond. Rocks that have a rough texture can be used as stepping stones for people to peer in and the smooth ones can be used for ponds that may have a waterfall on it. Water plants like water lilies and the floating frogbit can be placed on still water that may not necessarily be flowing! The rocks can also be used to build a very impressive rock border around the pond which can get your creative juices flowing!
3. Japanese Zen Gardens
Zen gardens are a magnificent way of establishing a calm, serene scenery that inherently becomes a major stress buster! Zen gardens were initially made by Buddhist monks to show their great admiration to nature which is why their gardens comprised of rocks, gravel and plants. They used these elements primarily because of their acclaim to the natural features like mountains, rivers, forest and others. Zens look the best with the implementation of a minimalistic design which in turn, facilitates a very aesthetic vibe when building miniature landscapes. The curved lines in the gravel represent flowing water and can often be found around taller-than-others rocks and stones which portray a cliff of sorts!
Tiny pebbles can also be used for small figurines which are often worked out in the stead of larger rocks for the miniatures Zen gardens that people have in small plate-like dishes!
4. Stepping Stones
Another way to ramp up your home’s outdoor architecture is enhancing your yard by adding a raw touch of nature, especially in your garden. Stepping stones can turn your yard’s ground into an extremely decorative pathway! While laying down the stones, it is of utmost importance to place them in roughly textured ground so that the stones don’t shift, slip and move when the ground is wet. The stones also need to be levelled in such a way that there is a slight positive slope for water to easily slide off and away from an exterior wall of your house. Other smaller pebbles can also be used to hold the larger stones in place without it sliding a few inches to the left or right!
5. Stone Patio
One of the relatively easier projects are the ones which involve building an impressive, decorative stone patio! If you want to elevate your architectural structures and improvise your ideas into more sophisticated ones, you can also include a fire pit and place some chairs around all the while merging the indoors with the outdoors! While using concrete slabs aren’t necessary, it is important to secure patio pavers into the ground with concrete, cement or any other material that would hold the stones in place. The stones which would be places vertically to resemble a sort of wall requires more concrete or cement that the floor requires, to secure the vertically placed rocks. Make sure to use a bunch of flat stones to stabilize any piece of furniture that you would want to place on them!