The House of Rock: Ideas for Sprawling Rock Gardens

Thoughts and musings

The House of Rock: Ideas for Sprawling Rock Gardens

Josh | August 28, 2013 | 0 Comments

Gardeners always find unique and fun challenges when exploring rock garden ideas. Rock gardening is an interesting subgroup in the art of landscaping. Recreating the Pennine or Alpine landscapes in miniature scale, complete with small perennials and delicate but sturdy bulbs and shrubs, offers plenty of challenges and rewards to gardeners.

Here are some ideas on how to recreate a stunning natural scene in your garden.

Up the Mountains

A great idea for a rock garden is drawing inspiration from the mountains, specifically the rustic arrangements of the rocks and plants that need to stand up to the harsh conditions of intense sun, high winds, and sometimes lack of water.

To create a picture-perfect scene, play around with wildflowers in an array of complementary hues. Combine mounded plants, groundcovers, and landscaping rocks with different-sized shrubs for a layered look and colour.

A Rocky Front Garden

Even if you don’t have a naturally rocky front garden, you can easily create one. For a grassy lawn, you can make planters with rocks as its foundation instead of bricks or concrete. A stone wall is also a great addition, as it offers an ideal foundation and border for your low-growing alpine plants.

Instead of a full concrete walkway or driveway, you can choose to have it filled with rocks. You can also line your flowerbeds with little stones and use it to make a border between the different plants you have in your garden.

Playing with Textures

Play around with different textures to get the best visual interest for your rock garden. Put together plants and rocks of varying sizes. A mix of conifers, shrubs, and perennials work great in creating a lush landscape that beautifully fuses distinctive foliage and colourful blooms.

Boulders and pebbles in a dry pond, along with red bricks lining a winding pathway lends an additional forest-like effect.

A Hillside Station

If your home is on a hill, what better way to capitalise on landscaping than by transforming it into a sloping mountain side. Bring in boulders and stones from local suppliers and a variety of our garden plants. Creeping cedars, Japanese maples, pines, ornamental grasses and yuccas can create an eye-catching display reminiscent of a mountainside. What’s best is the garden looks beautiful all year round and never needs mowing!

Working with professional landscapers will help you create these natural sceneries that until then can only be seen in the wild. Get in touch with us to learn how we can help you create the perfect rocky landscape for your home.