Rock Garden & Slope Design

These dramatic landscape design statements can be incorporated into most garden styles with an elevation change, from gently sloping front yards to steep back yard slopes (see Slope Rock Gardens below). The Rock Garden is best used if you wish to have your landscape reflect the natural look of the area surrounding your home. An excellent example is Southern California residential areas have native boulders in the areas surrounding the home sites or on the property itself. Whether you live in a patio home or an estate, if you have a sloped area, there is a place for a relaxing rock garden in your life. The rocks may be small and flat, or large angular specimens of various shapes, textures, and colors. Rock gardens incorporate a variety of low-growing, flowering shrubs and herbaceous perennials and grasses that become a secondary focal point for any garden. Artificial rock is also an excellent alternative, especially if a stream with cascading waterfalls is planned. Another option is to incorporate a dry stream with rocks or decorative gravel meandering through the rock garden.

Rock Garden Elements: The best choice for a rock garden style is an informal, flowing landscape theme. However, rock gardens may be formalized, especially when used as retaining walls, garden walls, or at the bottom of slopes. The main elements are properly placed rocks/boulders featuring elevations changes, however slight. Depending on the scale of your yard, the correct rocks/boulders must be selected. Not too big and not too small. Natural looking, like you built the home around them.

Rock Garden Plants: The best rock gardens feature small, low-growing plants in groupings such as Creeping Thyme, Sea Pink, Dwarf Mondo Grass, Alyssum, Snow-In-Summer, Blue-Eyed Grass, and Floral Carpet Roses with additional herbaceous plants such as Iris, Dianthus, and seasonal bulbs.

Hillside Rock Garden: A rock garden on a steep front or back yard slope is eye catching but also allows slope terracing for erosion control and soil stabilization. The rock garden combines color, rock and leaf texture, and slope stabilization. Slope rock gardens should be featured on the bottom third of the slope.  Groupings of large rock on the upper slope create a natural look. Low shrub masses ensure slope stabilization and “shows off” the exposed rocks.

Fantasy Rock Gardens:  Fantasy ornaments give your garden a “fairy tale theme”. Ornaments include miniature statues, castles, paths, caves, bonsai trees and, if possible, cascading water. The fantasy features must be the same scale, including the plants. Think of Walt’s miniature gardens at Disneyland^®. There is no reason why your yard cannot look like a scaled-down version of Walt’s Magic Kingdom^®.