The Care and Feeding of Rock Gardens:

Rock s are a great dscaping choice, especially for environme t don't get a lot of r and consequently can't support the convential lawn without wasteful wr usage. They are also a great component of xeriscaping, pting a lawn with pts t don't require extra wr. A rock is virtually mtenance free, which is one reason they are so popular.

Visualize the site and size of y rock . It is helpful, when visiting a nursery or hunting for rocks at a local ri, to have an idea of the kind of you w. Putting together a bluepr of y future can aid you immeasurably in buying mrials to cre y .

Rock s can be pted with ground co pts around the bottom edge of the 'rockery' so t it blends in with the lawn. Or, if you prefer, the lawn can be sharply edged around the rockery to give it more definition. There are many uses for rocks in a decorative scheme and many pts t l provide wh color scheme you wish.

One component of a rock t should not be neglected is proper drage for the pts and choosing pts t l thrive happily in y soil. Y local nursery or native pt society l probably have the answers to most of y questions about how to pick the best site, cre good drage (if you don't already have it) and what pts l live happily within y property boundaries.

If you are buying rocks, as opposed to searching for them in countryside and coast, you l be able to pick up many colored rocks, which l give plenty of erest to y rockery. Howe, there are many beautiful arrangeme t can be made with rocks t you pick up in ri beds or t just happen to catch y eye (don't take rocks or anything else from protected spaces, though!)

For a special touch, you can set up a self-circulating pebble pond either on the top of y rockery, or slightly lower and to one side. This l require a bowl which l be hid by lots of stones, the type of stones you find at the beach. Pebble pools work by an electric pump squirting wr up o the air about twelve inches; the wr drops down tically and falls o the pebbles. This wr drs through the pebbles and o the bowl where it is collected o the circulating flow. An eco-friendly way to do this is to buy a solar-powered pump and keep a r barrel, with which you can periodically refresh the wr in the pond.

Once rock s are established, especially if they feature xeriscaping, they require y little mtenance to keep them looking good and lending some character to y property. For people who mt their own property, but w as little mtenance as possible, they are one of the best choices in dscaping.