Decorative stones for the rock garden: how to choose them and put them together

Stones are half the success of creating a beautiful rock garden. Decorative stones or simple bouldersyou need to know how to choose them and how to combine them. The modern gardening course «Yellow Wheelbarrow» advises how to choose and arrange stones to create a decorative rock garden.

SELECTION OF STONES

The Alpinarium is available imitation of natural terrainso the image should be as natural as possible. If you can afford to create a collectible rock garden with mountain plants, great. This is how a real rock garden should be, it is not for nothing that its name comes from the name of the Alps. However, if you want to use local stones and decorative plants that you like, the appearance should still be as close to natural as possible.

Choose a stone type: large broken stones should be combined with crushed stone gravel. If the stones gently munchthey are all like this, from the smallest to the largest.

The stones should be of a single origin. If you use granite, do not mix it with local boulders, etc. The colors can be similar or different, but the origin of the stones must be the same. The harmony of the stones will be harmonious, the overall image will be more natural, not protruding. If the weathered stones have a pattern, they must be combined so that the pattern goes in the same direction.

Decorative stones are selected of the same origin, but of different sizes. Use the cracks between the stones. Photo from dvcnargs.org

SIZE OF THE STONES

Stones of the same origin do not mean they are the same size. If you buy stones, be selective at least four dimensions (fraction) stones, mix them in different proportions. In nature, we rarely find pebbles of the same size, so even in a rock garden, identical stones piled in a chain look strange. If you’ve done this before, add different sized rocks around and place plants on the rug to break up the look of one continuous line.

When creating a rocky hill, place the large rocks first. Put them in the ground without regrets – even if only a third of the stone remains protruding from under the ground, do not forget that the most important thing is not one stone, but their entire composition. Lay the stonesinstead of leaving them straight, they will look much more natural. A steep stone on top of a hill – imagine if you could really see such a sight in nature. It is best to place large stones on slopes, or at least as if they fell naturally. Stones are said to have their own faces – try to guess which side the stone was lying on before and place it that way.

Landscape architect Lina Puodžiūtė in the seminar on installing rock gardens always emphasizes that stones on slopes are necessary let those who are slightly inclined enter the mountains. So the rainwater will not flow directly down, but will be directed towards the roots of the plants so that they receive enough moisture. The rock garden must be equipped with good drainage so that the water does not stagnate, so this angle of entry of the stones will not cause problems for the plants due to stagnation, but rather will provide sufficient humidity during and for some time after the rain.

Many decorative stones are inserted into the inner side of the hill. Photo from randallsisland.org

And don’t be afraid of the size of the stones. Gardens using really large stones won laurels at international plant shows this year.

METHODS OF COMPOSITION OF STONES

If you are stuck for ideas on how to beautifully arrange stones, look for examples in nature, in mountain photos. If you have more space, install it stone terrace: place the stones on certain levels, staggered. Plant plants on each «flat» of the stairs.

An easier and more natural looking way is to place stones of different sizes in groups (for three, for five, etc.). By avoiding repetitions and stacking at different heights it is possible to obtain a harmonious and natural-looking image. Among the stones are plants of different repeated varieties, also arranged in groups of unequal sizes.

Rock imitation – steep slope. Even on steep slopes it is possible to insert plants into the cracks between the stones. It looks adorable, especially if you can get close.

When looking for the best places for rocks, don’t forget that the rock garden will need maintenance. Arrange the stones in such a way that is possible free access to the facilities. A stone path and split stone stairs can be installed in a larger rock garden. The rule remains to use stones of the same origin. The trail may drop a little lower than the other rocks, maybe not quite a gorge, but a small indentation looks good and will be fun to walk through and see the plants up close.

The installation and maintenance of a rock garden are closely related. Leave access to the plants. Photo courtesy of kristenheaven.co

The other side of the beauty of the rock garden is plant. Think carefully about which plants to choose for a rock garden so that it looks good and fits into the entire environment of your garden.

The article was published on the Delphi portal «Darau pats».

More practical advice – at the seminar “Rock garden, or stones in the garden”.

Think before acting and avoid mistakes – read the article «Assemble a rock garden: the most common mistakes.»