Rock gardens are designed to showcase boulders, stones and rocks. Rock gardens are laid out in unique designs that include beautiful drought-resistant plants and decorations like pavers, sculptures, and fountains.
What Are Rock Gardens Types?
If you have a small space, a raised rock garden can be the perfect lawn addition. Raised rock gardens look similar to regular elevated garden beds, but instead of wood or metal, rocks form the exterior and slant inward. Depending on the design, raised rock gardens can look similar to old-fashioned stone wells, giving your lawn a charming, antique flair.
Sprawling rock gardens are a great way to add some green style to areas of your lawn you’d like to highlight or dry spots where grass refuses to grow. They’re less defined than raised gardens, so you can build them to fit your lawn’s unique topography. If you have beautiful boulders on your lawn, build a sprawling rock garden in the spaces in between to accent your natural landscape.
a bold and lush desert garden with large succulents, cacti posts, agaves and large rocks is a fantastic space with bold landscaping
a bold desert garden with rocks and cacti in them, agaves and succulents is a stylish and catchy solution with a boho feel
Sloped front yard garden by sidewalk with drought tolerant succulent tapestry lawn substitute, Schneck Garden
a bright Alpine-style rock garden with blooms and greenery is a cool and catchy nook that brings color to the rest of the space
a bright and cool Alpine garden with some white and purple blooms looks adorable and very refreshing
a bright rock garden with pebbles, with greenery and bold blooms is a very catchy and cool part that will add curb appeal
a bright space with rocks and pebbles imitating a river bottom and bright blooms and greenery on the edge is a gorgeous idea
a chic and lovely rock garden with blooms, greenery and some shrubs reminds of some mountainous landscapes
a classic dry climate rock garden with various types of succulents and greenery plus an additional lamp to light the spot up
a colorful mini garden in rocks, with green, pale green, purple succulents and agaves and plants is amazing
a colorful rock garden with greenery, blooms and succulents plus some pebbles is a very cool and eye-catchy space
a colorful rock garden with huge rocks, greenery and blooms and a green lawn around is adorable and chic
a colorful rock garden with large rocks and bright yellow and purple blooms is absolutely adorable and catchy
a cool desert garden with rocks and gravel, with usual, yellow and purple succulents, agaves is a catchy and cool idea
a corner rock garden with blooms and greenery, with potted plants is a cool way to style a small and awkward corner
What Are Rock Garden Pros?
Rock gardens and other xeriscapes can increase your property value by up to 14 percent. Rock gardens are perfect for drought-prone regions. With drought-tolerant native plants, your rock garden will only need infrequent, deep waterings in the summer heat. You won’t have to mow your rock garden, and you can forget about expensive, harsh fertilizer. If your rock garden needs a nutrient boost, you can just apply compost or manure. Without the mowing, fertilizing, and frequent watering that a traditional turfgrass lawn requires, your rock garden will be an eco-friendly paradise.
Your rock garden can transform a less-than-verdant part of your yard into the talk of the neighborhood. A rock garden showcases a diverse assortment of colors, textures, and dimensions. With native plants, your rock garden will have pollinators like butterflies, birds, and bees buzzing about in no time. Water features can be excellent homes for aquatic animals like turtles, fish, and frogs.
It can be soothing to sit in your rock garden after a long day at work, listening to the trickle of a fountain or the flutter of a goldfinch. Rock gardens can tolerate drought, heat, intense sun, and strong winds. They’re built to survive in conditions that other plants can’t handle.
Mix spring and summer flowers with fall foliage and evergreens, and you’ll have a rock garden that never goes out of season.
a creative rock garden with succulents of various types, sizes and colors and some matching vases among them to add eye-catchiness
a dry rock garden with pebbles, some greenery and bold blooms looks as if it's part of a mountain landscape
Gary Necci placed each rock in this hillside garden himself. A pergola sits about halfway up the steep hillside. This is a very steep and rocky garden with lots of ground cover/alpines/collectors plants. It is all about the steep back hillside where Gary Necci has created something pretty remarkable in his West Seattle back garden. This view looks up from the bottom of the back garden.
a lovely rock garden with succulents and greenery as edge of slot, lining up the path to the entrance
a modern garden with a green lawn, pebbles and rocks, potted plants and shrubs plus greenery
a pretty rock garden with greenery, blooms and colorful plants is a cool idea for many spaces, choose the plants that will look spectacular
a rock garden with bright succulents, greenery and blooms is a very catchy, bold and spectacular slot for a dry climate
a rock garden with greenery and bright blooms is a very eye-catching and spectacular decor idea for any space
a rock garden with greenery and pink blooms looks very spectacular and very bold and chic
a rock garden with greenery, succulents and blooms is a cool addition to your garden, it looks chic, bold and catchy
a rock garden with lots of various succulents and a concrete bowl with them instead of a planter is a very cool and bold nook
a rock garden with pblles, some blooms and succulents and some simple plants is a perfect imitation of a desert-like landscape
a rock garden with pebbles, green and purple oversized succulents is a lovely space, it's perfect for a dry climate
a rock garden with shrubs and blooms imitates an Alpine landscape and adds an eye-catching touch to the garden on the whole
a rock garden with succulents of various colors and tree stumps with succulents is a super cool and creatively looking solution
What Are Rock Garden Cons?
Though you may qualify for a rebate if you are replacing traditional turfgrass with a drought-tolerant environment, rock gardens can cost a pretty penny to install. Boulders aren’t cheap, and you can rack up a bill purchasing stones, plants, and decorations. For slithering critters, the crevices of large rocks can be the perfect home. To keep snakes away, opt for smaller stones like gravel or river rocks rather than big boulders. Boulders are heavy, and lifting them can be quite a strain. One cubic foot of limestone or granite weighs an average of 175 pounds, and you may want a larger boulder than that. You’ll need a dolly, pry bar, wheelbarrow, or machine, like a skid-steer loader, to move your rocks. To avoid injury and save time, it’s a good idea to call in a local professional.
a rock garden with succulents, bold wildflowers and some grasses is a cool solution for a dry climate, the other part of the garden shows off succulents
a simple and catchy rock garden with large rocks and greenery plus some blooms is a very bold solution
a small rock corner garden with succulent is a lovely way to style a small and awkward nook of your garden
a small rock garden with bright blooms and greenery and a tiny bird house as decor is a cool way to style an edge of your garden
a small rock garden with green, red and purple succulents and some shrubs is a cool idea for a hot climate
a small yet catchy rock garden with succulents, blooms and pebbles is a very bold and stylish idea to rock
a stunning large rock garden with purple flowers of different kinds and some greenery and succulents is a cool solution
a stylish and chic rock garden with green succulents and bright blooms will add curb appeal to the space
a super bright Alpine rock garden with greenery and colorful blooms is a gorgeous idea for any space, it looks very eye-catchy
Alpine plants are perfect if you’re pushed for space or want to create a stylish low-key area
an adorable succulent rock garden with purple, green and grey tones is a lovely and catchy one to go for
an Alpine garden with large rocks, grass and pink and fuchsia blooms reminds of the mountains
an Alpine-style garden with rocks, greenery and bright blooms and even some trees is a very cool and catchy idea for your space
cute house trim idea made of succulents and stones - low water and maintenance make it great
go for large agaves as show-stoppers, add smaller succulents in various colors and textures
pink phlox in between stones looks amazing and adds life and color to the space at once
rows of colored succulents and agaves paired with rows of rocks and pebbles are a cool idea for any desert garden
rusty stones and light green succulents look amazing together, and if your succulents don't grow here, choose faux ones
succulents may also be growing in the stones if they are large enough for that