Spice up your backyard or front lawn by learning how to build a rock garden. It’s budget-friendly and easy to maintain!
What’s the image that comes to your mind when you think about a garden? Colorful flowers, lots of different plants, bees and butterflies, and maybe a little waterfall. However, a garden is more than its lush plants and beautiful blooms. Whenever we think of a garden, we think of its formation and rocks. Yes, rocks are important in your garden design since it adds shape and texture to your garden space.
What Is a Rock Garden?
A rock garden is a garden where rocks and rock arrangements play a fundamental part in the design, but it’s not as simple as placing a few stones in your backyard. A rock garden emphasizes rocks and its main purpose is for meditation. Similar to creating a Zen garden, a rock garden is designed to elicit the spirit of nature into your space.
RELATED: Ultimate Guide on How to Make a Zen Garden
When designing your rock garden, there is no right or wrong method. You decide on how to make your stone garden, but if you want to learn the method of how to build a rock garden, follow these steps!
Materials You’ll Need
Equipment/Tools
- Garden trowel
- Shovel
- Wheelbarrow
Materials
- Plants
- Soil (as needed)
- Stones in a variety of sizes
Steps on How to Build a Rock Garden
The experts from The Spruce will guide us on how to build a rock garden.
Build the First Course
The first step is to clear the space from grass or other organic material. Make sure to dig up sod and plants up to the roots to prevent new plants from growing in your rock garden. Layout a circle of rocks as the perimeter of your base. Ideally, the diameter should be about 4 feet, but you can choose how big or small your base would be according to the space you’re working on. This will be the foundation of your rock garden.
Next is to fill the area inside the first course with sandy soil. The sandy soil will work as drainage. Walk on the soil to pack it down or you can use a shovel.
Add the Second Course
The second step on how to build a rock garden is to add the second course of stones. These stones can be a bit smaller than the first course. Similar to the first step, form the stones into a circle. According to The Spruce, make sure that it has plenty of room for planting between the bed perimeter and the second-course stones. Don’t be afraid to experiment on how you arrange the rocks or stones.
Choose Plants for Your Rock Garden
Choose plants for your rock garden by creating a color scheme or plants that will thrive in well-drained soil. Additionally, choose plants with similar water and sunlight requirements. Drought-tolerant plants are a great choice for your rock garden. Lastly, create variation by choosing plants with different heights and leaf textures.
Plant Your Rock Garden
The last step on how to build a rock garden is to arrange your plants by grouping them in threes to create balance or arrange them according to how your rock garden looks. Add soil and small rocks to the plants, if needed. You can go decorative as much as you want.
A helpful tip when building your rock garden is to create a “grown-in-place” look by setting in the plants first, then adding rocks around them. This will create a more natural look.
Learning how to build a rock garden is pretty easy, but it requires patience and maybe half a day to finish. However, the result is definitely worth it! Check out our Plant Care blog to learn more about different houseplants and tips on how to keep your plants alive and healthy.
Whatever houseplant you choose to transform your home into a lively oasis, you’ll definitely need a stylish planter to display your plant baby in. No matter what your style, there’s an Omysa planter that will be perfect with your garden and home’s décor. From ceramics to fiberstone, check out Omysa’s Shop and add it to your cart!
