Rock gardens are designed to showcase boulders, stones and rocks. Rock gardens are laid out in unique designs that include beautiful drought-resistant plants and decorations like pavers, sculptures, and fountains.
What Are Rock Gardens Types?
Rock gardens can be designed in many styles, including Zen, alpine, and desert gardens.
- Alpine gardens mimic high mountain environments.
- Desert gardens feature cacti, succulents, and other drought-tolerant plants. They are ideal for sandy or rocky soil.
- Zen and Japanese rock gardens use smooth pebbles or clean white gravel. They create a more formal appearance with a focus on simplicity and tranquility.
- Woodland gardens combine rocks with shade-loving plants like ferns and hostas.
If you have a small space, a raised rock garden can be perfect for your lawn. Raised rock gardens are like regular garden beds but with rocks forming the exterior. They slope inward and can look like old stone wells, adding a charming, old-fashioned touch to your yard.
Sprawling rock gardens are great for adding green to your lawn, especially in areas where grass doesn’t grow well. They can be built to fit the shape of your yard. If you have big rocks already in your yard, you can build a rock garden around them to make your landscape look even better.
A bold and lush desert garden with large succulents, cacti posts, agaves and large rocks is a fantastic space with bold landscaping.
Design an eye-catching desert garden with agaves, cacti, and colorful succulents. Blend rocks into the layout for a natural, stylish look. Create a boho-inspired garden that is both beautiful and low-maintenance.
Sloped front yard garden by sidewalk with drought tolerant succulent tapestry lawn substitute, Schneck Garden.
A bright Alpine-style rock garden with blooms and greenery is a cool and catchy nook that brings color to the rest of the space.
A bright and cool Alpine garden with some white and purple blooms looks adorable and very refreshing.
A bright rock garden with pebbles, with greenery and bold blooms is a very catchy and cool part that will add curb appeal.
A bright space with rocks and pebbles imitating a river bottom and bright blooms and greenery on the edge is a gorgeous idea.
A chic and lovely rock garden with blooms, greenery and some shrubs reminds of some mountainous landscapes.
A classic dry climate rock garden with various types of succulents and greenery plus an additional lamp to light the spot up.
Craft a lively mini garden with rocks, featuring green and purple succulents. Add agaves for an extra pop of color and texture. Use rocks to help with drainage and create a stunning display.
A colorful rock garden with greenery, blooms and succulents plus some pebbles is a very cool and eye-catchy space.
A colorful rock garden with huge rocks, greenery and blooms and a green lawn around is adorable and chic.
A colorful rock garden with large rocks and bright yellow and purple blooms is absolutely adorable and catchy.
Create a fashionable desert garden using rocks, gravel, and vibrant succulents. Combine yellow and purple succulents with agaves for visual interest. Maintain good drainage to support your plants.
A corner rock garden with blooms and greenery, with potted plants is a cool way to style a small and awkward corner.
What Are Rock Garden Pros?
- Rock gardens can increase your property value. They connect man-made landscapes with nature, and are low-maintenance.
- They’re perfect for places that don’t get much rain because they use drought-tolerant plants. These plants need deep watering only occasionally in the summer.
- You won’t need to mow your rock garden, and you can skip expensive fertilizers. If your rock garden needs nutrients, you can use compost or manure. Without the mowing, fertilizing, and frequent watering needed for a regular lawn, your rock garden will be an eco-friendly haven.
- Rock gardens can turn a less green part of your yard into the talk of the neighborhood. They showcase different colors, textures, and sizes of plants. Native plants in your rock garden will attract pollinators like butterflies, birds, and bees. Water features can provide homes for animals like turtles, fish, and frogs.
- It’s relaxing to sit in your rock garden after a long day, listening to the water fountain or watching birds. Rock gardens can handle drought, heat, intense sun, and strong winds. They are built to survive in tough conditions.
- Mixing spring and summer flowers with fall leaves and evergreens will give you a rock garden that looks great all year round.
A creative rock garden with succulents of various types, sizes and colors and some matching vases among them to add eye-catchiness.
A dry rock garden with pebbles, some greenery and bold blooms looks as if it's part of a mountain landscape.
Gary Necci placed each rock in this hillside garden himself. A pergola sits about halfway up the steep hillside. This is a very steep and rocky garden with lots of ground cover/alpines/collectors plants. It is all about the steep back hillside where Gary Necci has created something pretty remarkable in his West Seattle back garden. This view looks up from the bottom of the back garden.
A lovely rock garden with succulents and greenery as edge of slot, lining up the path to the entrance.
A modern garden with a green lawn, pebbles and rocks, potted plants and shrubs plus greenery.
A pretty rock garden with greenery, blooms and colorful plants is a cool idea for many spaces, choose the plants that will look spectacular.
A rock garden with bright succulents, greenery and blooms is a very catchy, bold and spectacular slot for a dry climate.
A rock garden with greenery and bright blooms is a very eye-catching and spectacular decor idea for any space.
A rock garden with greenery and pink blooms looks very spectacular and very bold and chic.
A rock garden with greenery, succulents and blooms is a cool addition to your garden, it looks chic, bold and catchy.
A rock garden with lots of various succulents and a concrete bowl with them instead of a planter is a very cool and bold nook.
A rock garden with pblles, some blooms and succulents and some simple plants is a perfect imitation of a desert-like landscape.
a rock garden with pebbles, green and purple oversized succulents is a lovely space, it's perfect for a dry climate.
A rock garden with shrubs and blooms imitates an Alpine landscape and adds an eye-catching touch to the garden on the whole.
A rock garden with succulents of various colors and tree stumps with succulents is a super cool and creatively looking solution.
What Are Rock Garden Cons?
Rock gardens can be expensive to install. Buying boulders, stones, plants, and decorations can cost a lot. Snakes might find large rocks a perfect home, so using smaller stones like gravel or river rocks can help keep them away. Moving big boulders is hard because they are heavy. One cubic foot of limestone or granite weighs about 175 pounds. You might need tools like a dolly, pry bar, wheelbarrow, or a machine to move your rocks. To avoid getting hurt and save time, it’s smart to hire a local professional.
A rock garden with succulents, bold wildflowers and some grasses is a cool solution for a dry climate, the other part of the garden shows off succulents.
A simple and catchy rock garden with large rocks and greenery plus some blooms is a very bold solution.
A small rock corner garden with succulent is a lovely way to style a small and awkward nook of your garden.
A small rock garden with bright blooms and greenery and a tiny bird house as decor is a cool way to style an edge of your garden.
A small rock garden with green, red and purple succulents and some shrubs is a cool idea for a hot climate.
A small yet catchy rock garden with succulents, blooms and pebbles is a very bold and stylish idea to rock.
A stunning large rock garden with purple flowers of different kinds and some greenery and succulents is a cool solution.
A stylish and chic rock garden with green succulents and bright blooms will add curb appeal to the space.
A super bright Alpine rock garden with greenery and colorful blooms is a gorgeous idea for any space, it looks very eye-catchy.
Alpine plants are perfect if you’re pushed for space or want to create a stylish low-key area.
An adorable succulent rock garden with purple, green and grey tones is a lovely and catchy one to go for.
An Alpine garden with large rocks, grass and pink and fuchsia blooms reminds of the mountains.
An Alpine-style garden with rocks, greenery and bright blooms and even some trees is a very cool and catchy idea for your space.
Cute house trim idea made of succulents and stones - low water and maintenance make it great.
Highlight large agaves as focal points and surround them with colorful, textured succulents. Create a diverse garden by mixing different succulent varieties. Proper drainage is essential for succulent health.
Pink phlox in between stones looks amazing and adds life and color to the space at once.
Line up rows of colorful succulents and agaves with rocks and pebbles for a striking garden. Mix and match sizes and colors for an eye-catching effect. Keep the soil well-drained for healthy growth.
Rusty stones and light green succulents look amazing together, and if your succulents don't grow here, choose faux ones.
Grow succulents in large stones with soil-filled pockets for a creative garden. Use stones with shallow depressions to hold the soil. This setup adds a unique and natural element to your garden.
Plant Recommendations
Sun-Loving Plants: Sedums, creeping thyme, ice plant, dianthus, lavender, and phlox.
Shade-Loving Plants: Mosses, ferns, hostas, coral bells, and hellebores.
Perennials and Bulbs: Dianthus, rockcress, tulips, narcissus, crocus, alliums, and mugo pine.
A Short Guide To Create A Rock Garden
- Choose a well-drained area. Consider both sunny and shady spots depending on the plants you want to use.
- Clear the site. Dig out the area to a depth of about 6-12 inches to lay the foundation.
- Lay down a layer of coarse gravel or sand to improve drainage.
Use landscape fabric over the gravel to prevent weed growth. - Start with the largest rocks to create focal points. Arrange smaller rocks around the larger ones, considering natural appearance.
Leave gaps between rocks for planting. - Use a mix of garden soil, sand, and compost for planting. Ensure the soil mix matches the needs of your chosen plants.
- Start planting with taller plants at the back and shorter ones in the front. Use groundcovers to fill in gaps. Water plants thoroughly after planting.
Rock gardens are a beautiful, low-maintenance addition to any yard. With the right planning, building, and plant choices, a rock garden can become a year-round feature that enhances the natural beauty of your backyard.