A Rock Garden

Annuals for the rock garden perennials are common in rock gardens but just as in other areas of the yard annuals can bring an extra punch of color to a rocky site.

A rock garden.

A rock garden also known as a rockery or an alpine garden is a small field or plot of ground designed to feature and emphasize a variety of rocks stones and boulders. A rock garden is a garden which is designed around rocks. Even a container can become a miniature rock landscape. A rock garden can also turn an otherwise awkward spot like a hard to mow slope into a showcase for your more delicate plants.

The set up of a rock garden entails quite a bit of work so make sure you ve thought it through properly and designed your rock garden before you start moving rocks around. These petunias look right at home among the rocks and add cheerful color to surrounding foliage. This evergreen rock garden is another transition element between the lawn area and the woodland gardens in the background. Some would say that because rocks are permanent solid and rugged they complement t he delicacy of flowers.

A rock garden can range from a complex large scale project with many aspects and layers to something as simple as a small corner adorned with gravel and river stones. If you have a small area often the best design is a simple round raised bed made of select rocks. How to build a rock garden. After clearing the site for the rock garden leave it for six to 12 months before planting to eradicate perennial weeds create planting pockets of different compost mixes and sizes to increase the range of plants you can grow on your new rock garden and plant slightly proud to allow topping with a 5cm layer of grit around the plants which will act as a mulch.

Others are built around a single existing rock feature or gardeners may import rocks to their gardens for the express purpose of building a rock garden. Some rock gardens are installed in naturally rocky areas taking advantage of the natural landscape rather than trying to suppress it. When creating a rock garden selecting the proper location is one of the primary factors in determining the size of the planting bed and the types of plants that will thrive in the micro environment. If you ve never seen one a rock garden is simply a plot with a mix of rocks and any of several special species of small flowers.

Other annuals to consider for rock gardens include dianthus alyssum and vinca. The standard layout for a rock garden consists of a pile of aesthetically arranged rocks in different sizes with small gaps between in which plants are rooted. Rock gardens are low maintenance and lend year round structure to the landscape. Rock garden designs can range from to sprawling naturalistic creations to faux dried river beds to rustic mounds of stones soil and plants.

Today it is spread over an area of 40 acres 16 ha.