How to Make a Skull Rock Garden

Skull rock gardens are fanciful and fun.

Your yard can become truly unique if you forgo the traditional rock gardens and instead opt to make a skull rock garden. The skulking skulls can be happy-go-lucky, angry and evil or a mixture of all personalities. The affect of the skull rock garden is up to you, but know it will be dashing no matter what kind of attitude your skulls effuse. You can make a skull rock garden with a bunch of rocks and a handful of steps.

Things You'll Need

• Rocks for skulls
• Rocks for border
• Small shovel
• Paint
• Sealer such as polyurethane

Instructions

1. Gather your rocks. Make sure the rocks number at least six to have any type of impact. Rocks can be any size, depending on how much room you wish to devote to your skull rock garden. They can also be any color, as long as the paint you use contrasts nicely with the rock so you can see the features you’ll be painting. You will also want to gather rocks of a different style for a border around the skull rocks. Those of uniform size and color work best. The number of border rocks you need depends again on how large you want your skull rock garden to be.

2. Ready the rocks and paint them. Rinse all rocks to dislodge any dirt, crud and debris and let dry in the sun. You can leave your border rocks plain or paint them all a similar color, again different from the colors used on the skull rocks. Paint the skull rocks using a small brush, sponge brush or paint pen. The rock need not have a base coat, unless you want all your skulls to be black or shocking white, for example, but they do need skull eyes, small noses and teeth. Spray the skull faces with polyurethane or another sealer so they last as long as skull rocks should.

3. Set up the area. Take a small shovel and clear away the space needed for your skull rock garden. Indent the ground slightly so the skulls stay in place. Border the area with an array of rocks that are not similar to the skull rocks. You may want to dig a bit down into the dirt to make sure your border rocks stay in place. Using a different type of rock, or even wire or small metal fencing, will keep the skulls contained and add an overall ambiance.

4. Arrange your skull rocks in their new garden. Don’t just chuck them in, but place them so each face is most visible. Larger rocks do well in the middle and those with odd angles are best around the edges. Smaller skull rocks can fill in gaps between the larger ones.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to use an even number of rocks so each skull has a friend in the skull rock garden.

• Keep debris out of your skull rock garden by swishing it often with a heavy duty feather duster or spraying with a hose.

• Skull rock gardens look most striking when both the border rocks and skull rocks are uniform. Otherwise it may just look like a rock heap with weird faces on them.

• You can also purchase rocks, if your area is not rife with them, at a landscaping or garden supply store.

• If you don’t have a yard, you can always make a skull rock garden in a window box, large planter or other flat-bottomed container.

• Skull rock gardens don’t have to be limited to the great outdoors. You can create one in your entryway, kitchen corner or even your bedroom.

• Don't water or fertilize your skull rock garden. You don't need them coming alive and attacking you in the middle of the night.