DOES your garden need a shot of zest? Well, rock on with pebbles and stones.
You’ll be surprised how natural elements from your surroundings can make amazing rock gardens. Are there pebbles or chunks of stone outside the compound of your house? Did a strong wind blow some twigs or branches down from the tree? Clip them off and use them to add more natural touch to your rock garden terrain. Place the twigs and branches in between the rocks and beds of plants. Go to a beach to collect strewn pebbles, seashells and rocks. You may even go to a riverbank to find river rocks and pebbles, which are excellent for rock gardens. These cost next to nothing.
To lift your rock garden to the level of artistic creation, buy pebbles and rocks of different colours, sizes and textures. Add stone slabs if you wish to have a walking path. Go wild with your imagination. You may also have little bridges, ponds with water cascading over different levels of rocks or beds of slabs interspersed with pebbles of different colours.
Have fun creating your own garden. It’s the place for outdoor activities, lively gatherings and barbecues, and when you’re in the mood to chill. Put in some effort to add your own personality into your garden. If having colourful flowering plants means an extension of your liking for vibrancy, then have them to brighten up your rock garden. You can also transform plain stones into exciting art pieces. Paint birds, ladybirds, fruits and even catchy wordings on the stones and see how these can make a difference to your garden.
Here are some tips to get you started:
1. What kind of rock garden do you want? Will it fill a large spot in your garden or be confined to a plant bed or a large flower pot? Visualise it and then plan to achieve your visual. Scour around for ideas and check online tutorials and gardening websites on creating rock gardens.
2. Decide on the exact spot for your rock garden. It can be as big or small as you like. Whether it’s cosy or sprawling on a big patch of land, it’s your choice. If you have space that’s devoid of grass, you may want to jazz it up with stones of different colours and sizes. Include some plants. You can even create a layered effect by placing rocks and potted plants at different levels.
3. How about having stepping stones? Or a pebbled pathway running through your rock garden? Create a stylish pathway in between several lines of large rocks. Beds of rock make the perfect border to the garden path.
4. Do you like a rugged or “wild-looking” rock garden? Use rocks with rough texture in shades of brown, grey or black, and have jungle or mountain plants for added wild effect.
5. Do you prefer a tranquil rock garden instead? One with zen-like ambience of a Japanese rock garden? Make your arrangement of stones simple and in a certain order — circular or of specific shape, around a water feature, perhaps a pond. What’s a zen garden without a luxuriant border? So place lush plants all along the stony border.
6. What types of rocks should you go for? Use local rocks as they look the most natural in your area and are also easy to find. You can even get them for free or cheaply. But if you prefer colourful rocks and pebbles, choose contrasting colours — light and dark, vivid and solid, matt and glassy.
7. Vary the sizes and textures of stones and pebbles too. This will add sculptural interest to your rock garden, not to mention a certain level of artistry. Stack up numerous rocks to create a stony work of art.
8. Another beauty of the rock garden is that it can get better as time goes by. Moss may gather on the stones and plants may grow more verdantly, changing your original rock landscape. It pays to make that extra effort to perfect your rock garden at the very start.