Nothing complements flowers and greenery in a garden quite like natural stone. Its diverse colours and textures add originality while blending in with the surroundings. Unlike artificial products, natural stone can last many years without deteriorating.
The opportunities for using natural stone in a garden for landscape rocks are as many as the different types of natural stones available today. Below are some amazing ideas of how you can use natural stone and decorative rocks in your garden. These ideas are both simple and easy to implement.
Borders And Pathways
Stepping stones guide people to your front door, or along a majestic pathway through the garden. Quartzite, sandstone, and flagstone naturally break into plate-like pieces that are suitable for laying pathways. You can use natural stone that has been milled to be flat and thin to offer a more formal look, or you can choose a stone that hasn’t been milled, which are not as flat.
Place the stones around the borders of a section of your garden to define it and invite interest. It’s important to make sure that plants near the stones can be easily trimmed so that they don’t overgrow and obscure the decorative rock border.
Accent Rocks
Huge rocks or boulders make incredible statement pieces in a garden. Locally-sourced boulders are preferred because they match the geography of the location you live. Accent rocks like boulders have gained huge popularity among landscapers and garden architects in recent years.
A visit or look at a Japanese garden can offer some inspiration on how to use these types of rocks in your garden. It’s critical to plan out your garden before adding a huge boulder that may be extremely difficult to move in the future.
Statues, Benches And Fountains
Natural stone has been in fountains for thousands of years. Combining water and stone is as old as civilisation itself. The best natural stone for fountains is granite. Granite is great for fountains because you can easily acid-clean it to remove lime or calcium buildup. This may not be possible with more porous rocks.
Stone benches are also an excellent addition to a garden. Basalt and granite stone are the best options for stone benches because they feature earthy colours that go well with Japanese gardens or log-cabin-style homes.
Statues enhance a garden’s overall appeal and can easily double up as a fountain with the right plumbing infrastructure. You don’t even need a pool to collect water flowing from your garden statue. You can let it fall on your plants or a bed or gravel for aesthetics.
Bridge Or Dry Stream Bed
If you don’t have a stream of water flowing through your garden, but you wish did, consider laying stones to create a ‘dry stream bed’ that resembles a natural creek.
Or, if you have a permanent wet spot in your garden, you can build a stone ‘bridge’ over it. This helps to make movement over the spot easier while complementing the overall landscape.
Fire Rock Or Planter
A hollow rock can also be drilled in the middle and piped with gas to create a beautiful outdoor ‘fire rock’ or fireplace. A large stone can also be carved out to create a beautiful planter for your patio or yard.
Retaining Wall
A retaining wall made from natural stone is a beautiful and gracious way to prevent erosion in a sloppy garden. The retaining wall should be properly planned to prevent it from collapsing in the future. If you intend to build a wall over three feet high, it’s advisable to hire a professional to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Choosing Your Stone
Choosing stones for garden decoration mainly boils down to aesthetics. Locally-sourced natural stone is the best choice because you don’t have to spend a lot of money on shipping.
Rokworx is the home for all landscaping rocks, garden rocks, stones and pebbles throughout Melbourne. Please call us today on 0407 456 045 or leave us a message.
