If you want a good weed barrier or to fill in the gaps between pavers choose pea gravel, which comes in a good range of colors and is an affordable option. Use it for landscaping around trees as well as ground cover as it’s an affordable option. If you want a soft, rustic look for your backyard, decomposed granite is one of the best landscape rock types out there, with a pretty reddish-tan color. It's a creamy buff colour that gets darker when wet and comes in large irregular, angular pieces. Limestone can be used for designs needing larger rocks such as rockeries, filling gabions and other landscaping projects. It’s a great way of making a pretty border, path, lining a pond or other water feature, and edging projects. Known for its rounded texture, it's available in many sizes and colors. When it comes to smoothness, river rock is the best product to use. What kind of rock is good for landscaping?

You can also look on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Craigslist and Freecycle, which often have listings from people looking to get rid of surplus materials left over after landscaping projects are completed. Go for a mix of boulder rocks, stones, pebbles and gravel to add interest with different textures and shapes.īefore splashing out on materials do your research by looking for specialty rock suppliers to see what's available.

To create visual interest, aim to vary the size and shape of the materials you choose, too. Smaller complementary stones or gravel placed around larger rocks will help to pull together the design. Vary the color and texture of materials to introduce contrast. Remember that you will need to factor in cranes and diggers for moving larger rocks.Īllow space between the rocks for plants to grow. Begin with a few well-placed larger rocks as primary focal points to anchor the space and get these into position first. How do I landscape with rocks?Ī good place to start is by working out how you want your rock landscaping project to look. If your garden is shady, choose mosses, ferns and hostas instead. Evergreen dwarf and creeping conifers are good for adding compact year-round interest. Perennials, ornamental grasses and small shrubs can be used to add vertical height, while creeping ground cover plants will soften the edges. They tend to be smaller plants to complement the scale of the rocks. Traditionally rock landscaping included plant varieties that are alpine in origin, as the conditions simulate their native habitat. In modern garden design it tends to be restricted, featuring only a tree or two, smooth sections of lawn and a few shrubs as punctuation marks. Planting needs to reflect this aesthetic, too. The materials palette tends to be minimal, such as smooth rendered concrete for paving to create clean surfaces or large rocks used for dramatic effect. 9. Include rocks in water feature designsĪsymmetry is key to modern garden design, which often relies on pared-back spaces, quality materials and clever styling. Use rocks as a foil for your planting and include informal planting pockets for alpine plants, which will become established and merge into one other, softening edges and creating an environment that will develop naturally over time. A meandering gravel path completes the picture.

Larger rocks will add more drama and impact, creating a cleaner, less fussy design.' This is especially important in small gardens where the inclination is to shy away from large rocks in favour of small ones. 'Include a variety of sizes including some big rocks for impact. She also suggests working with local rocks to connect the house with the yard and surrounding landscape. 'Large boulders and smaller rocks were “planted” into this sloped garden to add height and interest,' explains garden designer Rachel Bailey. Bed your rocks into the soil and group smaller ones with larger ones in natural clusters. Start by observing how rocks look in nature, such as their orientation, grouping and how they seem to come out of the ground. Large boulders can be used to contrast with soft sweeps of planting for naturalistic landscaping ideas with rocks, a look that was an element of Victorian garden design.

Hillbilly rock landscape