A Rock Garden

A rock garden also known as a rockery or an alpine garden is a small field or plot of ground designed to feature and emphasize a variety of rocks stones and boulders.

A rock garden.

When creating a rock garden selecting the proper location is one of the primary factors in determining the size of the planting bed and the types of plants that will thrive in the micro environment. The set up of a rock garden entails quite a bit of work so make sure you ve thought it through properly and designed your rock garden before you start moving rocks around. Others are built around a single existing rock feature or gardeners may import rocks to their gardens for the express purpose of building a rock garden. Today it is spread over an area of 40 acres 16 ha.

Rock garden designs can range from to sprawling naturalistic creations to faux dried river beds to rustic mounds of stones soil and plants. Waterfall and path at rock garden chandigarh the rock garden of chandigarh is a sculpture garden in chandigarh punjab india. A rock garden can also turn an otherwise awkward spot like a hard to mow slope into a showcase for your more delicate plants. Some rock gardens are installed in naturally rocky areas taking advantage of the natural landscape rather than trying to suppress it.

The standard layout for a rock garden consists of a pile of aesthetically arranged rocks in different sizes with small gaps between in which plants are rooted. Annuals for the rock garden perennials are common in rock gardens but just as in other areas of the yard annuals can bring an extra punch of color to a rocky site. Even a container can become a miniature rock landscape. Other annuals to consider for rock gardens include dianthus alyssum and vinca.

If you have a small area often the best design is a simple round raised bed made of select rocks. Some would say that because rocks are permanent solid and rugged they complement t he delicacy of flowers. A rock garden can range from a complex large scale project with many aspects and layers to something as simple as a small corner adorned with gravel and river stones. A rock garden is a garden which is designed around rocks.

After clearing the site for the rock garden leave it for six to 12 months before planting to eradicate perennial weeds create planting pockets of different compost mixes and sizes to increase the range of plants you can grow on your new rock garden and plant slightly proud to allow topping with a 5cm layer of grit around the plants which will act as a mulch. These petunias look right at home among the rocks and add cheerful color to surrounding foliage. If you ve never seen one a rock garden is simply a plot with a mix of rocks and any of several special species of small flowers. It all depends on your preferences and the amount of space and rock you have to work with.

It is also known as nek chand s rock garden after its founder nek chand saini a government official who started the garden secretly in his spare time in 1957.