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How to Make a Rock Garden Look Beautiful

Contributor
By Shelly Mcrae
eHow Contributing Writer
(0 Ratings)

With a little effort you can turn a tired rock garden into a charming retreat for meditation and a focal point in your landscape.The key to a beautiful rock garden is simplicity and symmetry. Make this your rule for designing your garden.

From Quick Guide: Landscape Design
Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  1. Step 1

    Remove any dead or dying plants from the existing garden. Sketch out the existing space for the garden. On the sketch, draw a line across the center and down the middle. This makes four quadrants.

  2. Step 2

    In the top left quadrant, you’ll want two tall plants or one small tree. For the bottom left quadrant, place two small plants of similar shape and height.

  3. Step 3

    In the top right quadrant, you’ll want one small shade tree. In the bottom right quadrant, you’ll want a bench. The bench can be placed on an angle so when you’re sitting on it, you’ll be facing the garden.

  4. Step 4

    Sketch in a path leading from the bottom right quadrant to the upper left quadrant. Be sure to make it curve slightly where the quadrants meet. This mock path will consist of rock of a contrasting color to the existing rock.

  5. Step 5

    When considering which trees and plants you want, choose those similar in shape. Create a variety of color through blooms or leaves. The trees in the top quadrants should be similar in height if they are different kinds and they should line up horizontally. Remember to choose low maintenance trees and plants, and ones that suit the scale of your garden space.

  6. Step 6

    Place the trees and plants before planting. When satisfied with the placement, go ahead and plant. Lay down the rock path and place the bench. If you want to include one or two decorative items, make them small and place them so they are complimentary, and not dominant elements in the space.

  7. Step 7

    With this simple plan, you can create a beautiful space for meditation, for reading or for watching the sunrise.

Tips & Warnings
  • Depending on where your garden is located, you can rearrange your quadrants to take advantage of views, sunsets and sunrises.
  • Rather than man-made decorative elements, try adding a large rock or piece of driftwood to your rock garden.
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