Rock Landscaping for Spring

While trees, grass, flowers, and other plants are usually what we think of when we think of nature and landscaping, it is important to remember that rocks are also a part of nature that can be utilized beautifully for a landscape. Rocks add a natural contrast to plants and other greenery, but they are much more durable (an advantage of not being alive, we suppose). Here are some ideas to help you think of ways you can use rocks in your own landscaping this spring...

Rock gardens

Sometimes, a garden works better if the main centerpieces aren’t actually the plants or flowers. Rock gardens enable an interestingly textured garden that you can augment with different types of hardy plants, which can grow over the natural stone. This can be a highly distinct landscaping feature, and provides a sort of desert-style feeling. In order to make your rock garden, you can use a base of smaller stones, which can form around larger rocks, such as sandstone or granite.

Enhance a water feature

Everyone loves to have water features in their yard. Water features are an incredibly relaxing amenity that makes your yard an excellent place of peace to contemplate and wind down. However, you need to give your water feature structure and definition, in order to make it effective. Utilizing rocks to enhance a water feature can make your yard feel more natural. To do this, try putting a stone below a waterfall for the water to glide down, or use smaller rocks to outline a pond or creek that runs through your yard.

Use around gardens

Small rocks can work as a great replacement for mulch and woodchips around specific types of gardens. Smaller stones can be used in strips of shrubs and trees, in order to help highlight and bring out the beauty of the greenery. This also works great if you are putting flowers in containers, and want a landscaping solution that brings out the colors in the petals.

Stepping stones

You can help give your yard some directionality by using larger, flat stones as a walkway that guides the eye throughout the rest of your landscape. This can help define your yard and give it a distinct personality. A stepping stone path can also lead up to your front or back door, so that people exiting your home and into your yard have an aesthetic introduction.