Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Prepare your space and prevent the growth of weeds
• Method 2 of 3: Building your rock garden
• Method 3 of 3: Plant your rock garden
• Tips
• Warnings

A rock garden is a great way to place plants in a natural-looking environment. Rock gardens usually do not require much maintenance once they are completed and can be adapted to any size garden, including small spaces or gardens with natural slopes. In an area where weeds are persistent, rock gardens can also help keep weeds in check.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Prepare your space and prevent the growth of weeds

1. Determine which type of rock garden you wish to plant. Think about the specifics of your garden. Do you want a small or a large rock garden, in the shade or in the sun? Most rock garden plants prefer the sun, but you can adjust the planting schedule if you have a shady spot. You can make a sketch or drawing of what you want your garden to look like.
   • Rock gardens are rather permanent structures, so avoid placing them where there are manhole covers or underground pipes that may need to be reached.
2. Clear the place where you will place your rock garden. Remove plants, grass, and anything else that may be there, such as furniture or tree roots. It can help to capture the edges of your yard by making a "floor plan" with your spade.
3. Plan the drainage. You have to think about how you will drain and how you can improve this if your soil does not drain well. A good way to increase soil drainage is to:
   • Remove a few centimeters of the top soil layer. Mix in 6 inches of gravel, rubble, broken bricks, pebbles or rough sand. These materials will ensure that your soil drains more efficiently.
4. Put weed-resistant cloths on the ground to prevent weeds from growing. If there are stubborn weeds where you will be building your rock garden, put some horticultural weed-resistant cloths.
   • The cloths will allow water to penetrate, but weeds will not be able to grow through the fabric.
5. Consider putting down newspapers to avoid weeds. If you don't want to use weed-resistant cloths, you can also simply lay a few layers of old newspapers on the earth. The newspapers will eventually be broken down, but they will continue to contain weeds.
   • Don't worry if you're worried about what it all looks like - you'll be putting a top layer and stones on top of the newspapers.

Method 2 of 3: Building your rock garden

1. Choose the rocks with which you will make the garden. A random choice of large and smaller rocks will also work. Try to choose at least two or three very large rocks to make your yard stand out. Depending on your personal taste, you can choose rocks that all have the same color and variety, because this often looks more natural.
   • Support larger rocks with bricks or smaller stones.
2. Use rocks for the visual effect and to shape your planting bed. As mentioned before, you can ensure a natural appearance by placing the rocks you have selected as they could be in the wild. If you want something a little less natural and a little more formal, consider surrounding your planting bed with rocks. This will delineate the area where you work well and it can look very nice.
3. Place a top layer between your rocks. Once the rocks are in place, you need to put a top layer between the rocks. For an even more natural look, try pushing the rocks into the soil so that they don't just seem to float in your garden.
   • Use a top layer that is free of weeds. You can also use a top layer consisting of 30% gravel so that the soil drains well.
   • If you are using a top dressing that comes from another part of your yard, it may not be weed-free.
4. Step on the earth. Push the soil into the soil and water it with a garden hose to make sure all air bubbles are gone. Wait a few days before planting your garden as rocks can shift a little bit before getting stuck.

Method 3 of 3: Plant your rock garden

1. Choose your plants depending on the properties of your site. Keep in mind the type of soil and whether your garden is in full sun, partial sun, or shade. Also, don't forget that plants that die back in winter will make your garden look rather bleak in that season. Therefore, you may want to choose evergreens for most of your rock garden.
   • Lower growing, clod-forming, smaller plants do well in rock gardens, as these look good with rocks in the background. There are tons of varieties to choose from. Some examples are Celmisia ramulosa, Dianthus, some perennial Penstemons and Picea.
   • What also often happens is that small conifers are added to a rock garden; however, a Japanese maple is a more beautiful and elegant choice to add a visually interesting aspect to your rock garden all year round.
2. Don't forget that some plants do a good job of controlling weeds. Certain plants suitable for rock gardens, such as Leptinella potentillina or Sedums, tend to cover the soil so thoroughly that weeds hardly stand a chance.
3. Know that rock gardens can be too dry for some plants. Large rocks have a good heat retention properties, so heat-loving plants will thrive next to these rocks. However, plants that need a lot of water and don't thrive in heat won't be as happy in your rock garden.
4. Don't think you have to cover the entire rock garden with plants. Many gardeners try to cover all visible soil when creating a planting bed. Rock gardens are different because here the aim is to show off both the plants and the rocks. Therefore, your entire rock garden is not supposed to be covered with plants.
   • Ideally, the plants in your rock garden will spread slowly, so give your plants plenty of room to grow.
5. Take care of your rock garden. While many rock garden plants tend to be very independent (which doesn't mean they don't need a lot of water), you still need to set aside some time every few days to get rid of weeds. Weeds will be much less of a problem if you use newsprint or organic cloths as described above.
   • You may find that ants are an inconvenience because they like to make their nests in the rocks. Leave them alone if you don't mind. If you'd rather not have them around, you can buy ants at a local garden center.

Tips

• You can also combat weeds by completely removing the top 75 cm of soil and replacing it with a fresh top layer. It is still recommended to use weed resistant cloth underneath.
• Consider the textures and colors of your rocks.
• Consider using a weed killer before planting the rock garden - you may have to wait a certain amount of time for the weed killer to dissolve after using it or you will kill your plants.
• Some rock gardens look good with inorganic mulch such as small pebbles, sand or even shells between the rocks. The latter option works especially well in gardens that have the sea as their theme.

Warnings

• Be careful not to hurt your back when lifting heavy things. You may need help getting bigger rocks in place.