Perhaps you have just bought your home and you are considering ways to landscape the property. More often than not, homeowners will create a garden highlighting several species of colorful flowers and maybe a shrub or two.
However, there are many more options to consider
Rock garden.
(Courtesy: Cheryl of flickr.com)
besides a garden that emphasizes beautiful flora. One alternative is to create a rock garden.
A garden that includes several species of small flowers among large and small rocks have a calming and meditative affect for some that see it. Such gardens featuring rock arrangements have been popular as far back as the Middle Ages when Zen style gardens were introduced.
The construction of a rock garden is not difficult. However, it will take time and some heavy lifting. For example, you will have to create a foundation that includes a drainage layer, a layer of sand that permits water to permeate, and a layer of soil from which the flowers will grow and nurture. Next comes the placement of the rocks, and then the planting.
The tools you will need to perform the work include:
· Shears
· Leaf Blower
· Hoe
· Rake
· Crowbar
· Edger
· Wheelbarrow
· Shovel
· Gloves
· Posts
· String
Materials you’ll need include:
· Boulders
· Mulch
· Peat Moss
· Flowers
· Fertilizer
The Foundation
The chore of creating a rock garden starts with the foundation. Choose the exact site for the garden. A natural slope would be an ideal location. However, if such a slope does not appear on the property, then you can build a raised bed or elevated plot supported by walls, which can be made of bricks or concrete. You can build the walls as you fill in the foundation layers. Another option is to construct a berm, which slopes naturally down the sides to permit good drainage. This permits you to include plants, which flourish in different amounts of water. Flowers that desire more water can go near the bottom of the slope and flowers that thrive on less water can go near the top.
Now start digging. It would be helpful that you choose a day to begin your work when the soil is relatively dry. Dig away the lawn, dirt, weeds, and roots down to a distance of at least 1-foot. If you will be constructing a raised bed, then dig down about 3-feet.
Next, you will have to put down the drainage layer. It is suggested that you use a variety of rocks, pieces of concrete or bricks, or broken pieces of clay pots. Pack evenly. This layer should make up about one-third to a half of the depth of the dugout.
Now lay out the sand. This layer will hold up the topsoil and filter the water seeping down into the foundation. The coarse sand should be piled a few inches or about 7 centimeters.
Next, distribute the topsoil over the sand. The layer should include one part topsoil, one part leaf mold or peat moss or humus, and one part small gravel.
Planting the Flowers and Placing the Rocks
Now it’s time for the heavy lifting portion of the project and the opportunity to show your creativity. It’s time to place the rocks. If you’re lucky there are rocks that you could use already on your property. Otherwise you can get them from a home improvement store that sells landscaping rocks.
Dig a hole large enough to accommodate about one-third of the boulder-size rocks. This gives them a natural appearance.
Now relax for a few weeks. During that time the soil will fail a little. Use the remaining topsoil mixture to fill in.
Finally, it is time to plant the flowers. It will take some trial and error in picking the ideal flowers for your climate. Start off scattering a few flowers in the garden and monitor how well they grow and how well the garden in general looks. As things progress you can move flowers to other locations in the garden and plant new ones in the vacated areas.
It doesn’t take much to maintain a rock garden. However, you have to stay observant for weeds. Pull them out by hand as soon as they appear.
