designs of different rock gardens

It is a good idea to draw up a rough design of the rock garden. By designing a rock garden there is no need to use rulers and a compass to draft a perfect neat plan. Draw roughly on graph paper, but keep to scale.

It is a lot of hard work to build a rock garden and if the result is not to your satisfaction then it is more than double the work to change the rock garden.

The design of rock gardens have changed through the years. A rock garden can be anything from completely level or it can be a narrow high rock-wall.

In the modern rock garden designs include stones and pebbles in different textures, sizes and colors to compliment the plants in the garden. The plants can be succulent fatplants, flowers, shrubs or small type trees. Rock gardens are gaining popularity in South Africa after the water restrictions of the past few years.

For more garden photos click on the menu below. There are some good designs with rocks on the aloe & flower garden page and there are some more designs on my blog

How to build a rock garden in a very small space. That is a high narrow planted rock-wall designed to make good use of a small space in the garden. It is mainly for the pending aloes, but there are quite a few other aloes and succulents growing very well on this wall. This is a rock garden where the plants will not have problems with drainage and there are many spaces for small succulent plants amongst the rocks.

The high rock wall design above would be delightful when planted with flowers like impatience and begonias. Flowering plants which need little water and maintenance.

Below is a design for filling in a small space against an existing wall.

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This rock garden may seem simple but it needs a design. When designing take into account the size of the plants to prevent planting all the heavy aloes on one side. It is very difficult to remove and replant in a rock garden without harm to the plant.

This design is for the colder climates and or to hide an unattractive wall. Most aloes and succulents are sensitive to frost or cold for long periods of time. Rocks give some protection to the smaller aloes and a wall will help to protect the larger aloes against frost. When temperatures are cool, keep them dry.

This is the old fashioned rock garden in South Africa. This design lost popularity. A large garden is needed to make this rock garden with the large aloe species.

The aloes are in excellent condition and their size is impressive. This garden is in Namaqualand, the ideal habitat for aloes.

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A modern design with pebbles and stones. This garden is in a dry sandy area and needs a garden which will need a minimum of water.

Rocks and pebbles were utilized with a few hardy shrubs, succulents and aloes.

It is not so easy to find, or transport large rocks. These "rocks" were built out of smaller ones.

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Cotyledon sp., Kalanchoe sp. with Aloe congolensis in the foreground.

More designs on my blog and if you are interested in a very different design - click here