Rock garden ideas have often been an option for gardeners in desert areas. Have you ever felt like your gardening space would be better off with rocks and plants versus mulch or dirt? Don’t feel like you are alone. More gardeners are opting to create rock garden landscapes in traditional gardening areas.
You might want something low-maintenance and easier, and rock beds can definitely fill that void.
This post is all about rock garden ideas for your gardening space.
Planning a Rock Garden
The first thing you want to do is find a space. If you are converting an existing flower bed into a rock garden, this step has already been done. As with any gardening project, you want your rock garden in a space that creates the best growing environment for your plants.
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Prepping Your Space
As with any gardening area, this is the time you should remove debris from your potential rock garden area. If there are weeds, mulch, or anything other than solid ground in your space, now is the time to remove it.
You can add a barrier to prevent weeds from coming back. Barriers can be plastic sheeting or landscape fabric. You can also use Preen. Preen is a product that uses granules to prevent weeds. If you don’t want to deal with installing plastic, Preen may be a good option for you.
Adding Rock
Now it’s time to add rocks to your space. If you are adding plants to the area, you definitely want to add your plants before you put your rock down.
If you have a small space, you may purchase bags of rock. Otherwise, you would probably want to buy rock by the truckload or have it delivered.
Once you have acquired your rock, start adding rock to your space. You want to put down at least 3 inches of rock. You can go up to 5 inches, but that is completely up to you.
Maintenance
Maintaining a rock garden is very simple. Since you just added rock, simply water your rocks and/or your plants. Most of the time, rock has a layer of silt or dirt that needs to be washed off. Clean your rock really well with a water hose. If you have different colors and types of rock, they are more noticeable after you clean them.
You should have fewer weeds with a rock garden. You will see weeds, but not as many.
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Have fun with your new shiny rock garden!