Make a Beautiful Rock Garden for Your Yard

After a long, dreary winter, Spring skips in to remind us all of how beautiful the world really is. The flowers are growing, the grass is turning from gloomy brown to a rich green, the trees are budding, and all the baby animals are running about. It really makes you stop and appreciate life. After you're done looking at the trees and the flowers being reborn, you tend to look at your own yard and want some sort of change. A great way to do that is by making a rock garden.

A rock garden is a designated area of a yard that is usually defined by a border of rocks or stones. The inside can be filled with more rocks, flowers, mulch, and small plants. You can create your own rock garden with a little hard work and creativity. Before you begin, you may want to pick up a landscaping magazine or book, or even just look on-line for inspiration. To help you with your project, I have created a list of helpful tips.

1. First you will need to decide where you want your rock garden located. Think about whether you want it visible to everyone or just as something pretty for you to see. If you choose not to add flowers or plants then you can place it in a shady area.

2. Once you have decided where you want your rock garden it will be time to break out your gardening tools. You will need a rake and a shovel. You can also grab a can of light colored spray paint to mark out the design of your new garden. Begin by removing any large plants or trees with your shovel. Now you can start breaking up the ground with your rake to remove any unwanted weeds and to loosen the soil. If you have a tiller that you can use, it can save you a ton of time and backaches. Check into renting one at your local home improvement store if you don't have access to one. When you are done breaking up the soil, smooth the area out with your rake. You may want to dig a shallow area along the edge where your border rocks will be placed, and along the walkway if you choose to add one. This will ensure a more even look.

3. If the area is prone to weeds, you may want to spray the area with weed killer. Another step in weed prevention is to lay landscaping fabric out across the entire area. You can pick up a good sized roll of this at your local home improvement store, such as Lowe's, or even at a department store like Wal-Mart.

4. Now you can begin placing some of the rocks in your garden. If you have any really heavy, large rocks, place those first. Then begin building your border, flat rocks work great for this. If you plan on building a walking path through the rock garden, you can put those rocks in place now too. You can add small pebbles or river rock in and around your walkway to add a nice touch.

5. If you have decided to add plants and/or flowers try placing them temporarily where you think you will want them. Don't plant them yet. Take a step back and see what you think of the arrangement. Make any necessary changes, then begin planting them. The fabric you placed earlier will have directions on what to do when adding plants. Typically, you just create a hole big enough for your plant to go in, and plant as you normally would.

6. It is time now to add the mulch. You will want to buy enough mulch to make it at least two to three inches deep. If you do the mulch correctly, you may be able to do without the landscaping fabric. Run a rake across the top of the mulch to ensure it is even.

7. To finish up, you can place extra rocks throughout the garden. Try to find unusual rocks to add extra appeal. Rose rocks are neat rocks that are mostly found in Oklahoma. They are small, reddish, stones resembling roses. You can find other interesting rocks just by taking a walk in the country. You never know what you can find. If the country is too far away, you can always buy some.

Now that you are done you can kick back and relax. Enjoy your beautiful new creation you worked so hard on, your very own rock garden.