Grow Lovely Rock Gardens to Create a Way of Life

by Louanne Baelde

Rock gardens are not only created as a beautiful display for bulbs and flowers, but are increasingly growing to be a way of life. As numerous varieties of plants become favorites for the front and backyard, more gardeners undoubtedly become acquainted with the rock gardens.

What exactly is a rock garden? Quite simply, it is a sloping pile of ground with rocks. Many gardeners have magnificent spring-time beauties of sprays of color that peek from behind and beside orange or black and sometimes grey stones or rocks.

Many home gardeners select bulbs to plant in their new creations of rock and rolling hills of flowers. Quite a few have brief spring blooms that go dormant during the very hot and dry summer.

Alpine condition climates that bring the cold and the wind tend to favor perennial ground cover plants that can hug around the rocks so that they can protect themselves. If they were to be tall, they would freeze and die. These types of perennial plants do great in sandy and rocky soil.

Most of the time, gardeners choose a sunny spot that will allow partial shade from the rocks for the plants that need just a little more shadowing. Also, several types of bulbs do wonderfully in rock gardens because of the quick drainage.

Usually, rock garden soil is made up of gravel, sand, grit and organic material like peat moss. Natural looking mulch helps to keep lower leaves and plants from rotting from too much moisture. The mulch also helps to keep the mud off of the flower blooms.

Rock gardens are most often raised, as to allow proper drainage and bring the eyes closer to the picturesque displays. Crocuses and hyacinths do amazingly well in the springtime in these types of gardens and look charming as they spread between the cracks of different flat stones.

Arranging small paths between the rock gardens can add a wonderful twist to a somewhat boring square garden and planting the bulbs in clumps and drifts of color can be breathtaking.

Rock gardens can create mountainous displays of beauty to what could have been small unnoticed spaces. Many home gardeners do not have the advantage of lots of space. By creating swirls of blossoms between different sizes of rocks and stones, an outstanding dream of sloping beautiful gardens, flourish into a richness of natural beauty.