Rock Landscaping

If you want to spice up the look of your yard and add some zing to the landscape décor, rock garden landscaping may be just the right thing you were looking for.

The arrangement of the plants in a rock garden should be such that it should appear natural. A rocky terrain encrusted with sporadic big patches of low growing wild plants and creeping phlox and yellow moss should be replicated in a rock garden landscaping.

In order to successfully make a rock garden look natural, you have to shed conventional design ideas, concepts of symmetry and closely observe rocky terrains. A rocky topography cannot really boast of symmetrical lines and arrangements of plants.

If you do so, your rock garden would look pretentious and unnatural. You should not place the plants in an even manner or distribute the decorations evenly.

In a rock garden, the plants are not the focal accent pieces unlike standalone plants in other kinds of garden landscaping. The plants here complement the decoration in a rock garden and blend in seamlessly with the whole look.

Rock garden plants should ideally be “plain Janes” instead of being showy. They should also be low maintenance, adapt easily to the climate, complement the rocks and be hassle free.

If you reside in a cold mountainous climate, classic alpine rock garden is ideal for you.

Warm, moist and humid Tropical climate demands rock gardens with ferns and flowering begonia plants.

Desert rock gardens would do best by incorporating succulent desert flora like cacti.

Some other plants and flowers which you may consider for your rock garden for the riot of colors they offer are:

• Candytuft flower - white
• Taller lamb’s ear - silver
• Snow in summer - silver and white
• Chicks and hens - red
• Wood spurge - red, yellow
• Daffodil - yellow
• Scotch moss - yellow

But you have to back them up with thick green leafy drought tolerant foliage which will form the backbone of the garden. Of course you can plant many seasonal flowers and the whole garden will be painted in rainbow hues in spring and early summer, but the general rule is to go for longevity rather than evanescent good looks which will perish with end summer.

If you are seeking tranquility, serenity, inner calm and mental peace, you should opt for Japanese Zen rock gardens the focal point of which are carefully arranged rocks flanked from below by smaller tiny rocks/sand/mulch.