If you want a makeover for your garden, including rocks is an easy way to change the look of your outdoor space.
There are tons of clever projects you can do with rocks, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and stone is sturdy and durable, so whatever look you are after it should last.
So if you are browsing for some inspiration for your rock garden project, then here are 18 cute rock garden ideas you can use in your garden scheme.
Gabion walls Rock Garden Ideas
Gabions are large wire cages that you fill with rocks to make a retaining wall, seating, or decorative element in your rock garden.
Filled with the rocks of your choosing, it provides a stunning architectural element to your rock garden that many landscapers use when stacking against slopes or creating a barrier in areas prone to erosion.
Gabion design is a versatile, permeable and non-permanent way to use rocks.
You can always change your mind by updating the design and removing or relocating the cages and it only gets better with age in situ.
The best part about using Gabion walls is you can do it yourself!
Construct your wire cages and assemble them together so they are functional for your space.
It is hard work, but the end results are fantastic – check out these fantastic Gabion wall gardens.
1. Curved Gabion Rock wall
The attractive curved wall is ideal for supporting an outdoor pizza oven and fire pit. It creates a neat, inviting space for entertaining guests outdoors.
2. Gabion Rock wall with seating
This lovely gabion wall features clever built-in seating.
This brief film will explain the advantages of modern gabion wall designs in gardens.
3. Front yard Gabion Rock wall
This gabion wall structures and screens an otherwise open front yard.
The smart letterbox attached is a clever detail.
Border Rocks
Putting a stone edge around the garden is a traditional use of stones or rocks.
The variety of colors, shapes, and textures of stones mean that you can create almost any range of effects with boulders or pebbles, or any height.
Here are several creative ideas to use stones for borders in the garden.
4. Boulder edging
This beautiful border, with the boulders set against the backdrop of colorfully mulched shrubs, creates a stunning statement.
The boulders can be a great alternative to plain “brick” or “block” edging.
5. Cream river rock
Cream river rock is the material for this elegant low edging, which provides a beautiful separation between the lawn and the flowerbed.
River rock is a wonderful choice for borders and edging because it is extremely smooth and comes in a variety of colors.
6. Fieldstone rock
The fieldstone formed into a low-stacked border beautifully frames the vibrant plants of this garden.
Fieldstone is an increasingly popular choice for a rock garden because the way it looks is rustic enough to work in either a traditional or contemporary design project.
Rockeries
A rockery positions your rock garden as the centerpiece and accents it with plenty of foliage for a beautiful display.
A rockery or rock garden or rockery will depend on the type of landscape your will construct into/potential construct, on the large framework of large rocks, gravel, and stones, you add plants that are typical of a rocky alpine environment that are well draining.
Rock gardens can include water features and be as small or as large as you would like.
Here are some great ideas for you to consider.
7. Pretty Waterfall rock garden landscape
If you enjoy having a pond for your water feature, then you’ll definitely enjoy this stunning waterfall rock garden with upper and lower pools.
These larger boulders are what makes the dimension of this rockery design.
8. Round boulder rock garden
If there isn’t much space, a few choice boulders, pebbles, and some colorful blooms are all you need to have a rock garden experience.
9. Succulent rock gardens
Succulents are perfect for rock gardens as they appreciate the good drainage and heat from the sunbaked rock.
With hundreds of succulent varieties available, you have numerous opportunities to experiment, and it is really easy to tuck them in-between the spaces in the rock.
Zen gardens
This is a rock garden designed in the Japanese method, without plants.
A dry garden, as it is often called, is made of a few large rocks that sit on a tranquil blanket of gravel or sand that you can rake into decorative and calming patterns.
The Japanese designed these lovely gardens to create situations of quiet and contemplation.
You should be able to recreate these lovely zen garden ideas at home!.
10. Zen garden with planted island
Green islands rise above an ocean of meticulously raked beige gravel, interspersed with larger stones in darker shades.
The philosophy of Japanese gardening explains adding movement to raked grave through a uniform pattern.
Those classic patterns can be the many designs associated with Japanese gardens (ex. the water drop wave pattern) that you rake into the gravel.
11. Zen garden with trees
You can work trees into your Japanese garden design by laying the surrounding ground gravel.
12. Stepped Zen garden
This design for a stepped Zen garden would work well for non-level gardens.
Once again with the border colors matching the crowns or even the gravel can create a visually pleasing experience that matches stepping stones.
Spiral herb gardens
You can harness your garden rocks to create an stunning spiral herb garden that will provide all the culinary or health benefits of herbs all winter long if you love them.
One of the main advantages of using rocks to build your spiral garden is that the rocks will hold warmth and offer shelter to the herbs, extending your growing season.
Check out these spiral herb garden designs.
13. Spiral herb rock Garden
You are able to use a wood chip mulch for any herbs in the spiral for weed suppression.
Hope you are enjoying having a mini-kitchen garden in your backyard with favorite types of herbs such as basil, mint, garlic, chives, and parsley.
14. Spiral herb Rocks design
The benefit of using a spiral rock garden to grow herbs is that it has different positions with different amounts of sun, shade and shelter.
This means you can position herbs in their best growing position for optimum growing results.
15. Slate spiral herb Rock
Building up walls in the spiral can be simply done by stacking flat pieces of stone, which is an inexpensive option as well.
You could even add some terracotta tiles to add some color to the wall. Just stack one stone on top of the other, and it will really dress up the landscape.
Decorative Garden Rock Ideas
Use decorative rock designs to personalize your garden rocks.
Show off the natural color and beauty of rock, or, if you are feeling adventurous, add some funky paints to a few rocks!
We wanted to put together and list some decorative garden rock ideas that are extra special.
16. Mosaic river rock
These charming flowers of the garden uses the color of river rock to create a sweet display. The flowers look simply fantastic against these river rocks.
17. Plant marker stones
Hand-painted rocks are a fun addition to any vegetable garden! Just add them next to your garden plants and let your beautiful designs show!
Would you believe you can paint any design on rocks?
You can just start with one section of stone and then add it next to an area with pebbles. Rock painting is honestly such a small, effortless job that adds a lot of charm to the area.
Check out our article “Which Paint is Best for Garden Rocks?” to get the curtain on how to paint garden rocks.
18. Cairns
Stacking stones into tall cairns is a simple but striking garden idea that is cheap to complete.
Rounding up
As mentioned above, there are plenty of ways to integrate rocks, stones, and even pebbles into your landscape.
The flexibility of rock means you can use them in a rock garden of any size.
If you are looking for some rock to get going, read the article — Where Can I Get Free Garden Rocks? — to see how you could possibly source quality garden rock, for free.
Who knows, maybe that will create a beautiful rock garden spark of your own.