Landscaping: I have a bunch of rocks. What can I do with them?

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betsy_VA Vienna, VA (Zone 7a) July 03, 2009 07:55 PM	We bought a house from some folks who had started -- but never finished -- a koi pond. We have a giant hole (that's another story) and a rather large assortment of rocks that I believe were intended to form and surround the pond. We have a variety of stone types, ranging in size from my fist to small boulders of 30-40 pounds or so. (We have what looks like white quartz -- should clean up well -- as well as grayish normal rocks.) I don't think we'll be finishing the koi pond but I'd love to use the rocks in my landscaping. Can anyone point me to some guidance? How can I position rocks in and around my existing plantings? What about making rings around some of my trees -- does that look too cheesy? What makes a rock garden into a rock garden, and not a motley pile of rocks? How do plants and trees react to having rocks placed around them? Thanks in advance for your help! betsy_VA
ecrane3 Dublin, CA (Zone 9a) July 03, 2009 08:07 PM	The ring of rocks around a tree is a personal taste thing--I don't personally like the look, but if you like it then there's no reason not to. It doesn't tend to look especially natural though, so if you're trying to create a natural looking rock garden that'll probably detract. For larger boulder size rocks, they tend to look more better if you bury them partway in the ground vs just sitting them on top, I think that'll go a long way to making things look more natural (but it also means they'll need to go in areas where you don't have much planted--you don't want to dig up a bunch of a tree's roots to put the boulder in place). The key thing to making it not look like a motley pile or rocks is to mimic how rocks would be arranged in nature. I'd also recommend searching on Google for pictures of rock gardens, find some you like and take a close look at how they have their rocks arranged.
JulieQ Cullman, AL (Zone 7b) July 03, 2009 09:23 PM	I have been working with rocks found in my yard, too. If your rock garden is viewable from all sides you will want to think about the look of the rocks from every angle. You may also get some plants in mind before you place the rocks. If you have a particular favorite plant, you will want to be sure to leave a spot for it. I wish I had some of those big boulders!
XMelissaX Indianapolis, IN (Zone 5b) July 04, 2009 01:13 AM	My mom spent a fortune buying rocks for her pond and I'm thinking about starting a pond myself. If you can't figure out what to do with them, send them my way lol If you're the type to be interested in a fire pit, you could use them for that purpose. I don't know the shape and size of your rocks, but maybe the larger ones could be used for seating or something. Maybe your giant hole can serve a purpose after all. What about a rock wall type garden? It would probably involve a lot more work, but you might be able to build something kind of interesting that has places for large pots filled with flowers and vining plants that hang over the edge. If you really do have a lot of rocks that you don't know what to do with and want to get rid of, try posting on craigslist, freecycle, or some type of site like that.
Lynnie6868 (Zone 5b) July 04, 2009 11:16 AM	I was thinking the same thing, send the rocks to me :) I love rocks!
dax080 Cedar Rapids, IA (Zone 5a) July 04, 2009 12:41 PM	Hi - you'll definitely want to check into a rock garden. Simply make a berm (do you have a pile of leftover soil anywhere)? At about 3-4 feet high, you can place your rocks/stones throughout the berm - there are various styles you can do, just google rock gardens online. I'm sure you'll like the styles. Once the rocks are placed throughout, you can fill in with many types of plants - particularly alpine plants that love that type of landscape. I'm presently forming a habitat berm myself, and plan to set in the limestone that I've found on this property. Here's a link with other ideas too -- Dax http://landscaping.about.com/od/rockgardens/ss/rock_gardens....
betsy_VA Vienna, VA (Zone 7a) July 04, 2009 07:52 PM	Wow, dax080, that's really an incredibly helpful link. Thank you!! The idea of using the rocks to create raised beds is terrific. The white quartz in particular would be very striking for this. My explorations throughout the rest of the garden have turned up some of the white quartz placed around some of the bamboo outcroppings -- I think I might continue this and create some more raised beds in the bamboo area, using the white quartz. The step-by-step instructions in your link are fantastic. Thank you!!
dax080 Cedar Rapids, IA (Zone 5a) July 06, 2009 09:16 AM	My pleasure - please post pics when you can - would love to see! Dax
westraad Xai Xai Mozambique July 11, 2009 11:15 AM	You are so lucky about the rocks, i would love them! i personally like to use rocks as focal points, with several large boulders slightly put in the ground with smaller ones around them. the idea of making a rock wall is a great idea as well. good luck! keep us posted. westraaad
gardener2005 Baton Rouge area, LA (Zone 8b) July 15, 2009 07:52 PM	I live in Louisiana and they are selling rocks and cut stone at Wal Mart. Send me some free ones please. :) My advice is give them a natural look so that it doesn`t look like they were placed there and have been there since the beginning of time iykwim.
betsy_VA Vienna, VA (Zone 7a) July 16, 2009 05:53 AM	I've used a few of them so far, half-burying them around some plantings. (There were already a few half-buried around the yard that didn't look too bad, so I'm mimicking that.) I'm still planning to use some of them for a raised bed, as described in dax080's link. I'll post a photo when I do but it might be a while. Thanks for all the suggestions!!
flowers_delight Leicester, NC (Zone 8a) August 23, 2009 12:33 PM	well Betsy you could fill in that giant hole with them add dirt and plant grass or another suggestion is if you have a bank that you are tired of weedeating plant shrubs and ornamental grasses and distribute the pretty rocks throughout.

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