When daydreaming about their ideal garden, most gardeners likely picture fields of lush foliage dotted with colorful and fragrant blooms. A yard full of gravel and rocks is a sharp contrast and seems an unlikely place to find a beautiful backyard retreat. But with the right plants and a little creativity, rocks of all shapes and sizes can be incorporated into a landscape you can be proud of. In fact, you may find yourself headed to the home improvement store for more even more rocks for your backyard paradise.
Build dry stream beds to add interest or to decorate places where you have trouble getting plants to grow. Place a few larger rocks randomly in the center of the bed and fill in with small gravel or pebbles. Line the edges of the dry creek with plants such as creeping penstemon (Penstemon caespitosus), sweet woodruff (Galium odorata), hardy ice plant (Delosperma rubigenum), carpet bugle (Ajuga reptans) and coral bells (Heuchera sanguinea).
Lay large concrete pavers or flat stones, such as slate, to create a small sitting area or pathways in the garden. Fill in between the pavers or stones with pea gravel or small ground covers that will grow between rocks without creating a tripping hazard, such as cushion bolax (Azorella trifurcate “Nana’), miniature mat daisy (Bellium minutum) and blue star creeper (Isotoma fluviattilis).
Plant butterfly-attracting plants such as wild lilac (Ceanothus), honeysuckle (Lonicera), sea holly (Eryngium amethystinum) and sweet pea (Lathyrus oderatus) around large rocks with many small indentations or pits to collect water for the butterflies.
Create rock gardens on slanted or sloped areas, arranging rocks of various shapes and sizes, spreading loamy topsoil in around the bottoms of the rocks and adding plants such as Irish heath (Daboecia cantabrica), sunrose (Helianthemum nummulariam), sheep burr (Acaena) and European pasque flower (Anemone pulsatilla).
Things You Will Need
- Weed blocking fabric
- Large rocks and stones
- Gravel and pebbles
- Shovel or spade
- Always lay a weed barrier underneath areas where you will be laying stones or pebbles.