A rock garden challenges your creativity level right from the start.
A water rock garden is a peaceful addition to a piece of land featuring rocks of different sizes and shapes as well as small plants. Rock gardens have a natural appearance of an attractive rocky landscape covered with carefully selected plants.
Rock gardens are usually very well adapted to all kinds of weather conditions so you can be assured of the garden's survival during rainy and dry seasons.
For busy people who like a water feature, rock gardens require low maintenance. Their low maintenance requirement ensures that they can survive even in your absence.A rock garden with an interesting garden design will give your yard an amazing look the whole year especially with blooming flowering plants.
The use of small pebbles and large stones with attractive plants will create depth and a feeling of diversity for your yard.
Suitable plants for rock gardens usually have an alpine origin and can withstand drought. Before you start planting ensure there is adequate drainage, especially in areas with sufficient rainfall. Good drainage helps avoid water logging in the soil. Use small stones and gravel around the plants. The types of plants depend on the garden style that you settle on. For an alpine rock garden, prioritise plants such as bulbs. Papaver alpinum and abies are also suitable for such types of gardens. Also consider Iris cristata and saxifrage, Aquilegia and primula. Galanthus and epimedium can also be planted in this kind of rock garden. You can also feature New Zealand Moss and sempervivums plants in your garden space. For a Japanese influenced garden, much emphasis is put on the rocks. The rocks feature as the main characters in this type of garden and plants are included as an afterthought. Gravel is used the most with flat stones or upright ones. This type of garden mainly features moss. Low-growing conifers are a typical inclusion.
Beach pebbles are a good idea and can create a perfect mulch in the rock garden bed. This will reduce the loss of soil water and minimise the growth of weeds which might compete with flower beds for nutrients. Moss rocks are also perfect for rock gardens as they provide comfortable seating space.
Granite boulders can also be used in the garden and serve as garden seats. Use pea gravel to fill the spaces and for an appealing garden pathway. You also need stone mosaics to add attractiveness to your lawn. If you want to create a dry rock or design a garden with a desert landscape touch, then use lava rocks.
Include water design features in your rock garden like a fountain or creek for more elegance. Sprinklers and ponds with ornamental fish can also be amazing for the rock garden. Add plants like flowering shrubs and flower beds for outstanding garden colour and fragrance. Trees and succulents can also be added for lovely landscape design. Focal points such as gazebo or sculpture can also be considered.
Agapanthus is also another hardy species which can grow in poor soil bed and survive drought. Thyme can also be planted in rock gardens and survive dry seasons. It's a fragrant herb and produces beautiful flowers suitable for rock garden structures. You can also consider acacia trees. They produce amazing flowers and their hardy structure enables them to survive in dry areas.
Gazania and lavender should also be considered as they can survive dry conditions. They also produce alluring flowers and fragrances perfect for rock gardens. If you want to add an architectural style to your rock garden bed then agave can be a perfect choice. You can always seek the service of a professional for the best garden design.