What’s the first image that comes to mind when you think of a garden? Colorful flowers and luscious green bushes spreading sweet and relaxing scents? But a garden is more than its greens and pinks and smells.
Rocks can play a leading role in garden design. Discover now some amazing rock garden ideas and find all the inspiration you need to build your own rockery.
Rocks, like plants, come in all shapes and sizes and hues. Textures can vary, too. But what all rocks have in common is the sense of closeness to Mother Earth that they evoke.
Add the sturdiness of these buddies, and you get a rock garden that looks as great as, if not greater than, your usual garden!
Read on to learn more about this kind of garden and get inspired with some of the best rock garden ideas around!
What Is a Rock Garden?
A rock garden, or rockery, is essentially a garden where rocks and rock arrangements play an integral part of the design.
In a traditional sense, a rockery represents a heaped arrangement of stones with soil and rock plants around them. But modern rock gardens have evolved beyond that to accommodate more eclectic tastes.
For example, the Japanese rock garden (zen garden) uses a variety of rocks, water features, and moss with smaller stones or sands laid on the ground.
These zen gardens serve as the perfect backdrop for meditation, and they were created to imitate the essence of nature. Some grottos of sacred images are also rock gardens.
Rock Gardens: Things to Consider
As with conventional gardens, there are also things to consider in making a rock garden.
Because even if the overall effect of a rock garden may be rough, to achieve it you usually need at least some amount of planning.
Important: Rock gardens are by no means the result of chance, and just heaping some stones on grass doesn’t make for a rock garden. At least not for someone with good taste!
Plants in a Rock Garden
A good rule of thumb to follow in finding plants for your garden is to pick small ones that take drought well.
Tiny bulbs and succulents look great in these gardens, and you can also consider creeping plants.
But don’t restrict yourself to small plants; big plants can also look great in this kind of garden.
Size of Rocks in the Rock Garden
One of the things that bring beauty to your garden is the contrast of sizes.
A common choice would be having a few boulders or large stones as the primary foreground while using small pebbles and rocks as the complementary background.
However, it is also possible to have similarly-sized rocks for a more uniform look. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
Location of the Rock Garden
Remember that rock gardens are fairly permanent structures. In other words, you want to choose the right spot for them for the start or relocating them later can be hard.
Tip: A reasonable place to start is on one corner of your backyard. If you’re feeling more experienced and ready to take on a big challenge, you can try expanding to one third or half of your yard.
Feel of the Rock Garden
A good choice of rocks and placement will affect the feel of your garden. For a casual and natural appeal, random groupings of rocks work well paired with irregular rocks.
However, if you want a cleaner and elegant appeal, smooth pebbles or rocks that come in uniform sizes do the job well.
Unique Rock Garden Ideas and Designs
Let’s get more practical with a few actual rock garden design ideas. You don’t have to recreate these faithfully. Instead, look to incorporate your favorite elements from them into your own design.
Buddha Inspired Rock Garden
This rock garden design is going to be easy to pull off if you have a Buddha statue lying around.
If you don’t, any spare large object that looks great as a centerpiece could very well replace the statue. The bamboo and other rocks and plants should be pretty easy to find.
Three Center Boulders
The central items in your garden don’t have to be all shiny and statue-y.
Look at these three boulders; they don’t look great alone, but as the focus of this garden, they don’t look bad at all, do they?
Stones in Equilibrium
This rock garden idea is quite a challenge, and you may not get it right on the first try (without some dirty tactics, anyway).
If you do get to nail it, then you’ll have something interesting to show off.
Rock Garden Terraces
Rocks can be excellent as part of terraces!
The aesthetic is pretty neat, and depending on how you place your plants, your stones can shine as the main attraction or effectively complement your star plants.
Small Japanese Zen Rock Garden
Zen gardens reflect the essence of nature, and this one nails it right in the heart.
There’s enough zen in its structure, some fine greenery in the background and sides, and the rocks look like huge jades beautifully spread on the ground.
Garden Pond with Rocks
If your garden incorporates a pond or other water feature, smooth stones will definitely look great on its banks since they can also be used as a stepping platform when you peer over your pond.
Tip: Talking of garden ponds, here are some water plants you may want to add to this design.
Japanese Zen Rocks
You don’t always have to stick to the usual stones and plants.
In this zen garden, the extra props add a zen feel and enhance the visual aspects of the garden without compromising its meditative and calm appeal.
Landscaped Rock Garden with Boulders
Rocks are great fillers to large blank spaces that you don’t have an idea of what to use for.
A few plants shoved on the crevices and some large boulders for size contrast and you can get a splendid rock garden with minimal effort!
Flat Slabs Walkway Garden
Rocks can bring a more natural feel to your garden than concrete.
These flat slabs alongside wooden planks in your rock garden are the lovechild of architecture and nature!
Rock Dike Pond
When you want to show off your pond in a flashy way, then having some rock dikes on your pond would be perfect for you!
The rock dikes signify that no one (not even dogs!) can pass beyond its borders while complementing the pond design.
Rock Pond
Even without the luxury of a large pond, you can still make a miniature one. You can grab some pretty and smooth pebbles and hot-glue them into the inside of a bowl.
Fill it up with water and dig a hole in your lawn that could fit the bowl in. Put some fishes and voila! A quick rock pond.
Rock Mosaic Garden Design
Stones come in peculiar shapes so why don’t you try to get creative with them and create a rock mosaic?
These beautiful pieces of art are perfect as steps or designs of walkways, adorning the way to your home with homeliness and grace.
Small Desert-Inspired Rock Garden
What could rough, bare rocks best represent? That tough and barren surface of the desert, of course.
With some succulent plants wedged between the rocks, you can bring the appeal of a hot desert to your garden without the blistering heat. Or the dryness. Or the sandy winds. Or the scorpions and snakes. You get the point.
Flat Slab Steps
With a few large flat slabs of stone of similar sizes, you can create a natural little mound with a garden bench or other key feature at the top.
Tip: Add in some lush stout greens around, and you can get the perfect hangout place for a calm afternoon.
Contrasting Rock Spiral
Instead of laying down rocks side by side, why not get more creative and arrange them in a contrasting spiral?
Dark-colored pebbles are common everywhere, but you’ll probably have to buy the white stones in the gardening or landscaping store.
Small Rock Garden on a Low Hill
Whether you want to imitate a natural outcrop or a bedding plane, you can do it on a low hill.
In this case, you can casually place the stones and plants together in a way that looks great.
A Rocky Entryway
This is a top-tier rock gardening idea that requires more work, more skills, and more materials than most other ideas on our list. But the result is going to make quite an impression on anyone who sees it!
If you can get someone to help you out, you can definitely pull off this extremely attractive magical entryway to your garden.
Important: Make sure to properly wedge or glue the rocks at the top to ensure they won’t fall.
Rock Mulch
Mulching is a technique of covering the surface of the soil with organic material to help retain temperature and moisture.
Using rocks as mulch is more decorative than functional on the surface, but the approach has its own merits. Plus, it makes your flower beds look neater and just overall lovely to look at!
Spiral Rock-Walled Herb Garden
The spiral herb garden requires some intermediate-level skills.
But once you do finish this one, then you not only get some outstanding scenery for your garden but you can eat parts of it, too!
Rock Garden with Waterfall
Don’t deny it, at one point in your life you absolutely wanted to have a waterfall in your backyard!
The sounds of water flowing and splashing as it cascades down can be amazing. If you’re up for this one, and we hope you are, go for it!
Tip: When you’re done, add in solar-powered lights to make your rocky waterfall an interest sight at night.
How to Build A Rock Garden
Creating a rock garden requires some strength, but more than that, it requires patience and the right materials.
A good garden requires thorough preparation and carefully thought-out plans so that you know what you want and how it’s going to look like.
Step 1 – Clear off the plot of land
Remove all vegetation on the chosen plot and adequately demarcate the area of your garden by making a deep edge around it.
Step 1 – Plot your design on the ground with inverted marking paint
This way, you can have a good look at how the garden will look like before you do the heavy work. You should also mix in materials that drain well on top to increase soil drainage and add some weed-resistant fabric on the area if it’s frequented with weeds.
Step 3 – Choose the right rocks
You can buy most small stones from a landscaping or gardening store. You’ll need to buy the bigger ones from stone suppliers with their quarry. They have a large variety of boulders to choose from, and they are the most economical choice.
Step 4 – Start with the large boulders
These are the hardest to move around, so you might as well start with them. You should create a footing to set them so that they look natural.
Step 5 – Arrange the other elements
You can either plant all the plants first or put in the smaller stones, it’s up to you. To make your rock arrangements look natural, press them down or fill the crevices with soil.
As you can see above, with a little bit of planning and muscle everybody can build a scaled-down version of the Rocky Mountains in their backyard! Just kidding.
On a more serious note, if you follow the key steps on how to build a rock garden and mix in some creativity and a personal touch, you’ll get something nice.
Rock Gardens Frequently Asked Questions
So, you’ve learned a little about rock gardens and how to build them. However, you might still have some lingering questions.
There is no need to worry! Here are some of the most common questions we hear on rock gardens.
Are rock gardens easy to maintain?
One of the biggest perks of having a rock garden is how easy they are to maintain. This makes them a perfect option for both amateur and expert gardeners alike. The main thing you will have to worry about when caring for a rock garden is pulling weeds and keeping your plants watered, making it a low-maintenance choice perfect for anyone! Get inspired by our rock garden examples and start yours today.
Do I need professional assistance to build a rock garden?
Building a rock garden can be hard work, but that doesn’t mean you have to hire a pro to do it for you. If you’re willing to deal with a little trial and error, you can achieve that perfect rock garden. Check out our step-by-step guide to learn more about the process.
How much does it cost to create a rock garden?
The cost of creating a rock garden depends on the materials that you use. On average, you can expect to pay anywhere from $3 to $6 per square foot. Those who are looking for an even cheaper option can opt to use crushed granite or other crushed rock materials for around $1 to $3 per square foot.
What is the point of a rock garden?
A rock garden or rockery emphasizes rock arrangements and their relation to the surrounding plants and soil. Often, it aims not just to add beauty to a garden but to induce calm and relaxation. You can integrate it into a larger garden design or use it on its own to create a standout garden.
Rockin’ Your Own Rock Garden
Landscaping rocks are fairly common in most gardens, but you might not have thought of using them as prominent features.
After reading this article, we hope you will. Because a rock garden has a charm of its own that is similar yet contrasting to a flower garden.
A rockery reminds you of natural landforms on Earth and how wonderful they can be in their variety.
At the end of the day, if you have been gardening for a while and want some change of pace, a rock garden might be the one you’ve been looking for!
As for us, we would love to learn more about your rock garden so feel free to reach out to us or leave a comment below!
Overall nice presentation, thank you. The rock garden video kinda sucked. All that work, including choosing all the little stones one at a time … and then the result looks unattractive and messy.
As one commenter mentioned, it’s good that you recommend smooth stones for stepping around in the garden. Mine was ‘professionally’ installed for many $, and that’s one complaint I have about the result — too many rough rocks between me and the water, so I have to go into the house and put on my heavy boots first.
I like your suggestion to incorporate smooth stones for stepping platforms if our landscaping uses a water feature. My brother and his wife are looking for a sand and gravel company in their area with whom they can discuss ideas and supplies for their new large backyard. Your article explains some classic ideas that would be useful for them to remember when choosing rocks, so I’ll be sure to share it with them soon!
Hey Rebecca! Thank you for leaving a comment. I’m happy we could help you make your decisions on a new rock garden. For more inspiration on water features, I suggest checking out our in-depth water feature article. We’d love to see the final result so feel free to send us some pictures once it is done. Warm Wishes
It’s cool to think that adding a pond within your garden can provide you an oasis where you can relax. I have a cousin who’s looking for ideas on how to improve his property. I’ll go ahead and share this with him so he could have some gravel delivered into his home as a start.
I purchased a home with a rock garden and now weeds are coming through do you suggest I remove all the rocks and rebuild the foundation applying weed resistant tarp and then sand? Thanks Michelle S
Hi Michelle, congratulations on your new home! With regards to banishing weeds in your rock garden, we highly recommend sticking to less toxic weed removal methods like pulling weeds by hand. If there is a lot of weeds, you can water it first or pull the weeds after a rainfall. Alternatively, you can spray the weeds with vinegar that contains 20 percent acetic acid so you can effectively burn the weed foliage (household vinegar only contains 5% so it may not work as desired). However, be careful not to spray your plants with it or you will burn their leaves as well. If you cannot find our specified vinegar, you can opt to pour boiling water onto the weeds instead. Finally, if none of the methods work, use herbicides, and carefully follow its instructions.
Tyler, let me know if you do it; and how it turns out. I never thought about using crushed rock, or trying a rock wall instead of wood . Good luck , if you decide to try it.