Gardening with Rocks – How to Set up a Rock Garden

Rock Garden or Gardening with Rocks 

The popularity of gardening with rocks can be traced back to old English gardening traditions as well as early Chinese and Japanese civilisation.

Today these rockeries are used by some to create tranquil Zen gardens for meditative purposes whereas others use them to elevate the appeal and showiness of their gardens and outdoor spaces.

Either way, rock gardens not only add spectacle and a sense of calm to gardens, but they can also help to reduce water usage as well. 

A rock garden is a section or area of land that is used to feature rocks that encompass flora and other natural elements. It is the purposeful arrangement of a collection of rocks, stones (add some glow stones for more colour), plants and flowers that is used as a feature in outdoor spaces.

You can keep things simple with your layout or create a more elaborate display depending on your space and capacity to maintain everything. Regardless of how you design and set up your rockery, you can easily enhance the scenic beauty of your natural landscape by using rocks. 

Important Considerations When Rock Gardening

To help set you on the right path to creating the most suitable rock garden for your needs, there are a few things you can consider before establishing anything. These are:

• What climate do you live in?
• How much and what type of space do you have to work with?
• How much work will it take to establish and maintain your rock garden?
• What type or style of rockery are you hoping to achieve?
• What plants and flowers will allow you to create the colours and textures you want to highlight in the area?

If you are unsure about anything, it is best to start simple and small. You can always expand on or change your display in the future.

Rock Gardening Ideas & Location

Now that you have a good idea of where you’ll be establishing your new rocky landscape, you can consider different styles and start laying your foundations.

Styles can range from modern to minimalist, cute to rugged or anything in between. Most rock gardens consist of rocks of various sizes, arranged purposefully with small gaps in between them for plants to grow. 

Here are a few popular ideas for gardening with rocks. 

Large Boulder Rock Garden

If you have ample space to use, you can use large rocks to form garden edges or position them as decorative features where small to medium-sized plants can be scattered strategically throughout the structure.

If working on a slope, be sure to start at the bottom and make sure the rocks are embedded into the ground correctly. It is recommended to bury half of the larger rocks. Use the boulders as a frame for your smaller details and create planting pockets for your soil. 

Rock Garden Water Feature 

You can create a more harmonious space in your garden by pairing your rockery with the trickling effect of water. Building an aquatic feature into your rock garden like a fountain, pond or stream can help elevate the tranquillity and overall appeal of your display.

Water will also add a glistening shimmer to your rocks that will sparkle when the sunlight covers the area. 

Rock Garden Feature Plants

Landscaping rocks can also be used to enhance feature plants in your garden. Whether built as attractive edging for garden beds or used to highlight specific plants by creating small decorative spaces around them, rocks can quickly boost the floral spectacle of your outdoor areas. 

Dark-green collections lend themselves well to light rocks that can pop in the scenery while gardens with lighter floral tones tend to look best paired with darker rocks. 

When gardening with rocks there are no set rules and it is ultimately a matter of personal preference so get imaginative and try to have some fun with the process.

Smaller locations generally suit smaller arrangements where larger areas can be more extravagant and flashier. There is no shortage of rockery ideas so be sure to do some research or chat with specialists in your area if you feel you need some more inspiration.

Plants to Grow When Gardening with Rocks

Your plants should look as natural as possible within the rockery and should ideally be hardy and resistant to some changes in the environment.

Choosing which plants for rockeries to use mostly comes down to personal choice but generally, a mixture of a variety of plant types and textures that blend well looks fantastic against the smooth stone backdrops.

Your plants should seamlessly merge into the rocks where the entire display should look as if it was formed naturally. Larger trees or shrubs can be used in the background of the display where the smaller dwarf plants can be integrated into the structure more intricately. 

You should always use quality soil that is well-draining and that allows for adequate depth for plant roots to establish themselves correctly. 

Here are some popular plant choices:

• Succulents - see our compilation of succulents you can grow in Australia. 
• Ground cover plants
• Ferns - Learn how to grow and care for Maidenhair ferns here. 
• Native shrubs - See our growing guide for Grevillea nudiflora
• Trees
• Perennial flowering plants
• Herbs

Think about which colour pallets and pairings you want before planting your collection and also be sure to consider some native plants, ferns or shrubs as they will help boost that natural appeal to your display.

Tips for Gardening with Rocks

Building rock gardens can be a simple process where your creativity is reflected in your natural spaces. Here are a few tips for you to get the best results when landscaping rocks.

• Don’t overthink selecting your rocks. Locally sourced rocks and products may also be a great option for helping to seamlessly blend your environment with your rockery. 
• A soil mixture of 2 parts loam soil, 1 part peat moss and half a part of compost should work great for your plants. The soil must be well-draining. 
• Your flowers and plants should complement your rocks and not overshadow them. Plants that are too big or too small can either be suppressed by the rocks or draw attention away from them.
  
  Balance is key so take your time and start small if you have to. 
• Choose a selection of large rocks, pebbles and gravel to add variety to the tone and texture of your rock garden and consider the placement of your rocks in relation to your plants.
• Be sure to also consider the maintenance that will be required to keep your rocks and plants looking good.

Rock Garden FAQs

When should you plant a rock garden?

Autumn and winter are good times to construct your rock features while there isn’t much to do in the garden. Planting in spring is recommended as a large range of plants are available at this time.

How do you plant flowers in a rock garden?

Allow for around 10 to 15 centimetres of soil beneath your plant and try to keep the rock away from the base of your plants. You can cover your soil with mulch to help stabilise your plants and help with moisture retention. 

Do rockery plants like shade? 

You should ideally try to use plants that can tolerate some shade. Rockeries can disrupt light and temperature levels so try using plants that are known to thrive in full sun to part shade and plants that are resistant to changes in temperature and humidity.