Looking to add some sharp, memorable, but low-maintenance landscape art to your property? Consider a custom rock garden.  It combines the permanent beauty of stone with another beautiful thing: not needing to mow or weed a chunk of your lawn.  

Rock garden design ideas

As you probably know, rock gardens focus on rocks (large and small) as the primary design elements, rather than as an afterthought or flourish.  What you may not know is that the rock garden can become as fancy as you’d like.

The rocks can be artistically arranged by themselves, or you can complement them with alpine plants and succulents, perhaps to create a garden that looks like a diorama of a mountain range. 

We can integrate a water feature into your rock garden, or create it next to a fish pond, where the soothing sound of trickling water complements the rugged beauty of the rocks.

If you’re seeking tranquility, a Zen design could be the ideal choice. We’re experienced at crafting these minimalist and meditative landscapes.

Benefits of rock gardens

Rock gardens can help control soil erosion, particularly on slopes, by slowing down water runoff, diffusing the splashing, and stabilizing the soil. This reduces the chance of soil being washed away during heavy rains.

They cover up stubborn patches of soil.  Rock gardens are a great use of space where it’s too tough to get anything to grow.  In areas of your yard with stony or depleted soil it may be very difficult to get grass, flowers, and vegetables to grow.  But you can grow a rock garden just fine.

Drainage.  Properly designed rock gardens can improve water drainage, directing the flow of water away from your home or other structures. That can help prevent water damage to your buildings.

Fire-resistance.  In regions prone to wildfires, large rock gardens can serve as a firebreak, reducing the amount of flammable material close to your home.

Pest control.  Vegetable and flower gardens can sometimes attract unwanted pests. Because rock gardens have fewer plants and little to eat, they’re less appealing to many types of pest animals.

Less damage from foot traffic. Strategically placed rocks can deter foot traffic in certain areas. This protects delicate parts of your property’s landscape from being trampled and damaged, without using an obvious barrier.

How we install rock gardens

The first step is site selection: Where would you like your rock garden? We’ve seen a lot of properties and installed many rock gardens, so we can help with suggestions.

Next, we bring the perfect rocks, considering size, color, and texture to match your vision. We then prepare the ground, remove existing vegetation, and grade the area to optimize its drainage.

Finally, we position the rocks and any plants.  The end result is a clean, immutable beauty added to your landscape.

Maintenance

You don’t need to have a green thumb – maybe just a gray pinky finger.  Rock gardens are extremely easy to maintain (one reason we love them and you’ll love yours). To the small degree maintenance is needed, it usually entails just a little weeding, cleaning the biggest rocks with a hose, and rearranging any rocks that have been knocked loose.

Meditate on the rock garden and summon Landscape Guys to create it

Low-maintenance yet eye-catching, these unique installations can make your property feel like a serene Shinto shrine on a mountaintop.

We serve the Twin Cities area.  Contact Landscape Guys today to become one with the stone.