Rock Garden Cleanup
Rock Garden Cleanup
Rock gardens take their cue from alpine slopes, where tough plants find a purchase amongst boulders and stone outcrops. You can create a rock garden from scratch, importing stones and boulders to build a naturalistic design, but if you’re lucky enough to have rocks on site, you can transform a dead zone in your landscape into a flowering focal point.
This homeowner never intended to create a rock garden, but in clearing a patch of rubbish by the gate that led from the back yard to the side yard, an idea was born for a new flowering oasis.
This strip of land, measuring eight feet by three feet, was previously a utilitarian passage bordering the back patio. With the back door to the house, the side gate, and the water spigot within feet of the strip, foot traffic was high, but a few large rocks became an automatic dumping ground for stones uncovered by garden chores in other parts of the yard. Like many unpretty parts of homes and gardens, the eyesore sank into the background, invisible to the homeowner.
A Blank Slate
A pause to pick up a few stray rocks that were drifting onto the path one day became something more purposeful. Eventually, the homeowner had filled a large garden wagon with rocks and concrete rubble, and a pleasing landscape dotted with boulders was revealed. The homeowner thought, “What if?”
The stones were already buried one-half to one-third deep in the soil, providing the stability and natural appearance for a rock garden.
Next, he excavated as much of the clay soil as possible, replacing it with a combination of compost, gravel, and garden loam to improve drainage. He paid attention to each crevice in this small space, wanting to maximize his planting area.
Choose Garden Rocks
Even rock gardens benefit from mulch. While organic mulches made from shredded bark or leaf mould provide nutrients in flower gardens, too much of a good thing in a rock garden promotes lush growth that can’t take the temperature extremes in this environment.
Rock mulches like gravel help prevent erosion, retain soil moisture, and control weeds. In large rock gardens, pea gravel is an economical choice for mulch.
In this small space, the homeowner experimented with polished river rocks and small red lava rock.
Decorative Garden Boulders
In lieu of a garden ornament, the homeowner found a new location for an unusual specimen of green volcanic obsidian left to him from his grandmother. A small rock garden can also sparkle from an addition of a large piece of quartz, or a polished river stone with an inscription.
Although many rock garden plants have creeping and spreading habits, adding an upright plant breaks up the monotony of an expanse of three-inch tall plants. A clinging vine, the climbing Hydrangea anomala petiolaris ‘Miranda’ adds visual interest across four seasons in this small garden. The vine produces large white flower clusters in late spring and early summer. The golden leaf margins glow in dappled shade even when the vine isn’t in bloom.
Finally, shaggy reddish-brown bark looks striking in the winter months. Climbing hydrangeas tolerate some drought when established, provided they receive protection from full sun. For a rock garden in full sun and dry soil, choose a native honeysuckle vine. Other tall accent plants for rock gardens include goldenrod, Russian sage, and hummingbird mint.
Although not very drought tolerant, Sagina subulata Scotch moss is a good rock garden candidate for tucking into crevices and retaining walls. The cheerful golden plants will be smothered with tiny white flowers in the spring, and the plants will gradually spread to form a living carpet around your boulders and stones. The homeowner added wax begonias as a temporary flowering filler until the moss gets established.
Rock gardens take their cue from alpine slopes, where tough plants find a purchase amongst boulders and stone outcrops. You can create a rock garden from scratch, importing stones and boulders to build a naturalistic design, but if you’re lucky enough to have rocks on site, you can transform a dead zone in your landscape into a flowering focal point.
This homeowner never intended to create a rock garden, but in clearing a patch of rubbish by the gate that led from the back yard to the side yard, an idea was born for a new flowering oasis.
This strip of land, measuring eight feet by three feet, was previously a utilitarian passage bordering the back patio. With the back door to the house, the side gate, and the water spigot within feet of the strip, foot traffic was high, but a few large rocks became an automatic dumping ground for stones uncovered by garden chores in other parts of the yard. Like many unpretty parts of homes and gardens, the eyesore sank into the background, invisible to the homeowner.
A Blank Slate
A pause to pick up a few stray rocks that were drifting onto the path one day became something more purposeful. Eventually, the homeowner had filled a large garden wagon with rocks and concrete rubble, and a pleasing landscape dotted with boulders was revealed. The homeowner thought, “What if?”
The stones were already buried one-half to one-third deep in the soil, providing the stability and natural appearance for a rock garden.
Next, he excavated as much of the clay soil as possible, replacing it with a combination of compost, gravel, and garden loam to improve drainage. He paid attention to each crevice in this small space, wanting to maximize his planting area.
Choose Garden Rocks
Even rock gardens benefit from mulch. While organic mulches made from shredded bark or leaf mould provide nutrients in flower gardens, too much of a good thing in a rock garden promotes lush growth that can’t take the temperature extremes in this environment.
Rock mulches like gravel help prevent erosion, retain soil moisture, and control weeds. In large rock gardens, pea gravel is an economical choice for mulch.
In this small space, the homeowner experimented with polished river rocks and small red lava rock.
Decorative Garden Boulders
In lieu of a garden ornament, the homeowner found a new location for an unusual specimen of green volcanic obsidian left to him from his grandmother. A small rock garden can also sparkle from an addition of a large piece of quartz, or a polished river stone with an inscription.
Although many rock garden plants have creeping and spreading habits, adding an upright plant breaks up the monotony of an expanse of three-inch tall plants. A clinging vine, the climbing Hydrangea anomala petiolaris ‘Miranda’ adds visual interest across four seasons in this small garden. The vine produces large white flower clusters in late spring and early summer. The golden leaf margins glow in dappled shade even when the vine isn’t in bloom.
Finally, shaggy reddish-brown bark looks striking in the winter months. Climbing hydrangeas tolerate some drought when established, provided they receive protection from full sun. For a rock garden in full sun and dry soil, choose a native honeysuckle vine. Other tall accent plants for rock gardens include goldenrod, Russian sage, and hummingbird mint.
Although not very drought tolerant, Sagina subulata Scotch moss is a good rock garden candidate for tucking into crevices and retaining walls. The cheerful golden plants will be smothered with tiny white flowers in the spring, and the plants will gradually spread to form a living carpet around your boulders and stones. The homeowner added wax begonias as a temporary flowering filler until the moss gets established.
