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Small rock design


Rock Garden Ideas for Small Spaces

By

David Beaulieu

David Beaulieu

David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience. He was in the nursery business for over a decade, working with a large variety of plants. David has been interviewed by numerous newspapers and national U.S. magazines, such as Woman's World and American Way.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 11/07/22

The Spruce / Christopher Lee

In This Article

Project Overview

Rock garden designs can range from to sprawling, naturalistic creations to faux dried river beds to rustic mounds of stones, soil, and plants. It all depends on your preferences and the amount of space (and rock) you have to work with. If you have a small area, often the best design is a simple, round raised bed made of select rocks. This design can fit neatly into any well-chosen nook and will not be in the way when you mow your lawn. If you plant it thoughtfully, it also won't require a lot of maintenance.

Illustration: The Spruce, 2018

Click Play to Learn How to Build Rock Gardens for Small Spaces

Equipment / Tools

Materials

Instructions

  1. Build the First Course

    Clear the area of grass or other organic material, if necessary. Be sure to dig up sod and other plants below the roots to prevent new shoots from coming up later in your rock garden. Lay out a circle of rocks as the perimeter of your base, making the diameter about 4 feet (or as desired). This forms the foundation of your garden and creates some elevation above the surrounding ground. You can use up most of your largest, least attractive rocks in this bottom layer, but it does not require stones larger than about 12 inches in any dimension.

    Fill the area inside the first course with sandy soil, which provides good drainage. If all you have is a clayey soil, add sand and compost to it to promote better drainage. Walk on the soil to pack it down.

    David Beaulieu

  2. Add the Second Course

    Plan the second course of stones. This can simply be a smaller version of the first course, forming a circle within a circle, or it can take the form of one or more bands of stone that pass through the center of the bed perimeter. In any case, the second course should provide plenty of room for planting between the bed perimeter and the second-course stones as well as in any additional spaces created by the second course.

    Place the second course of stones according to your plan (and don't be afraid to experiment). Since you used your heaviest stones for the first course, you have lighter, more easily maneuvered stones to use for the second course. Try to use the best-looking stones here (any size is fine) because they will be more visible than the foundation rocks.

    David Beaulieu

  3. Select Plants for Your Rock Garden

    Start your plant selection by choosing a color scheme that will work well with your stone. For example, if the garden is made primarily with red sandstone, you'll want some plants with a hint of red in them, as well as some plants displaying silver, yellow, white, or other complementary colors.

    In addition to selecting for color, choose plants that thrive in well-drained soil. Also, confirm that the plants have similar watering requirements and are suitable for the amount of sunlight the garden receives. Drought-resistant plants are best, although you can make an exception for a particularly handsome specimen that you can treat as an annual (that is, temporary) plant. Finally, seek variation in plant height and leaf texture for maximum visual impact and interest.

    David Beaulieu

  4. Plant Your Rock Garden

    Arrange the plants in your rock garden while they are still in their pots. Usually, it's best to plant in threes: grouping three of the same kind of plant together or in a strategic arrangement. Keep in mind that you will intersperse rocks among the plants.

    Once you've settled on a layout, begin planting with additional soil as needed, adding rocks for decorative effect as you go (if you add all the rocks before planting, they'll just be in the way of your digging.) 

    If you want to cover small areas of soil with rock mulch (to prevent weed growth), use small stones of the same type (or at least similar coloring) as the major stones forming the rock structure.

    David Beaulieu

Sample Rock Garden Design

Here is a good sample selection of plants for a small rock garden, chosen for color, care requirements, size/height, and texture:

This rock garden will look nicer in spring and early summer (when the plants are in bloom) than it will in late summer. That's an example of a compromise you must make unless you have a space large enough to implement a sequence-of-bloom agenda. For colorful blooms throughout the summer, you can easily add the annual, portulaca, to the mix.

Another compromise is made with Scotch moss, which is not drought-tolerant. This is a case of sacrificing longevity for a temporary pop of color and texture. Scotch moss is suited to planting zones 4 to 9 and bears small white flowers, but it is grown mainly for the solid carpet of yellowish-green that it provides. It grows in full sun to part shade.

The only plant in this sample design that is grown more for its flower than its foliage is the daffodil. The relatively coarse textures of the lamb's ear, wood spurge, and hens and chicks contrast well with the other plants, all of which have more delicate foliage. As the years go by and the daffodil and lamb's ear spread, you can divide them. If you decide that they clutter up your rock garden too much, transplant them to somewhere else in the yard.

Tip

Give your rock garden a "grown-in-place" look by layering while you plant. Set a few plants first, then add rocks around them, as though the plants have grown up through the "cracks" in the rocks. Try to cover as much of the surface as possible with rocks and plants.

Watch Now: Painted Rock Crafts

14 Small Rock Garden Ideas – Bigger Garden – Grow More With Less

When building your first rock garden there may be a few questions that come to mind.  “How do I set up the rock garden?” “Should I use plastic or fleece underneath?” or “what about mulch?” This guide will help you with your initial set up of the rock garden as well as spark some creativity from the different options for design.

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What you need to build a Rock Garden

So, let’s get started;

What you are going to need:

Now that your well equipped with the basics lets get to the fun part and move on to the small rock garden examples to get the creative juices flowing.

Japanese sand garden with rocks

The Zen Garden

Rocks of all sizes have a unique way of bringing about calm and relaxation. This is especially apparent when creating a Zen rock garden.  This design makes great use of a natural stream that ran through their back yard.

Not close to running water?

Don’t worry ponds are an easy way to add depth to your design.  To complete the look, fine white sand was added to this small rock garden. Task yourself with the duty of raking the sand daily to put your mind at ease. And of course, a Zen Garden is not complete until the buddha statue is added!

River rocks assembled as a stream

River Rock Garden

Another great option if you don’t have a creek running through your landscape is adding the illusion of running water.

This river rock garden does a great job of tricking the eye’s into seeing much more than a bed of rocks.

Using small stones this river look is easily achieved.  Small stones typically sold as “river rocks” offer the best size and consistency. They are given this name due to the small and washed over look they have which is great for your river garden simulation.

By using much larger rocks as a border on each side not only are you able to keep the design contained but the border rocks add depth to your newly build rock garden.Pot of soil with moss, groundcovers and pebbles

Mini Rock Garden

Working in smaller spaces? Try adding pots of mini rock gardens to your outdoor escape.

These fun little gardens are a great way to get kids involved in making their own little scenes.

Some popular additions to these tiny gardens include creeping herbs like thyme and oregano along side moss and mini painted mushrooms.  You can create a path with your pebbles or incorporate a rock garden wall as a backdrop for your mini garden scene.Large rock with waterfall feature

Rock Garden Fountain

Create something monolithic in your garden space by incorporating a fountain and waterfall rock garden. While working with water can be a bit tricky, over time it can create a truly serene experience.

This garden designer chose to focus their attention on one larger rock so they could create a waterfall effect from behind.  They carefully placed some greenery and let the grasses grow.

This option is still great for those looking to build something impactful in their yard or garden space.  While these larger rocks look nice, they are quite heavy to move and will require mechanics or a large group of strong friends to put in place. Watch your back!

Orange slab stone rock garden

Natural Slab Rock Garden

This option is great for the gardener looking to build something that looks a bit more natural.

Using well positioned flagship slate stones as steps are perfect for leading the eye up to a new section of the garden or can simply act as a focal point for your greenery.

This home owner in particular used a nicely shaded yellow stone that is rich in minerals. These minerals shine through and give the stone an almost painted look in the sunlight. As with the rock garden fountain, get ready for some heavy lifting!

Rock garden sitting area

Small Rock Border Garden

Not all rock gardens need to be fancy, sometimes all you need is a bit of the elements in order to get the look you are going after. Take this small rock garden for example, the gardener simply used the stones to create a nice border to separate the mulch from the river stone.  This makes for easy clean up as the leaves start to fall and creates some visual separation between spaces.  To add even more depth, follow this design lead by creating different levels between the separation of rocks for a more dramatic effect.Organized rock garden with small and large rocks

Transitional Garden Spaces

Adding a small rock garden to your back-yard space can be a nice way to transition 2 different spaces. With rocks on one side and lush greenery on the other this garden creates great separation of space. Some garden centres will stock dark river rock like in the example above.  This will really depend on your area and the local stone available -you may need to do some searching to find the right color. Once you find the right color the accent stones can be placed. This home owner used tan accent stones for a bit of color and flagship stones to create a guided walkway for your guests.

Herbs and groundcovers in rock garden

Herb Garden With Rocks

Another great use for adding a small rock garden to your space is for cultivating herbs. Many perennial herbs growing directly in the ground or a raised bed will become crowded by neighboring plants as the season goes on.

Adding sparsely placed rocks throughout your garden can help to create little pockets for your herbs to flourish.  Take an herb like thyme, when left alone this plant will flourish, let it get crowded by other plants and you will be looking for something else to flavor your chicken with! Pairing perennials with rocks is ideals since you’re creating a permeant spot for your plants to grow again each year safe from critters looking for a winter snack. Bamboo fountain rock garden

Bamboo Rock Fountain

Nature, when left alone can lead to some wonderful creations, take this rock fountain for example in Japan.  Hundreds of years worth of water flowing out of the spout and into the basin of this rock slowly formed the shape it is today.

While you might not have the patience of waiting even a few years for something like this to form it’s still an interesting sight to see. A similar effect can be made with a chisel and some smoothing out.  Not only will you be able to enjoy the tranquil noise of the water flowing, the fountain will serve as a nice bird bath for the local wildlife.Carved out rock and fountain garden

Small Rock Fountain

Similar to the example above this rock garden uses the power of mother nature to slowly carve out a place in this wet stone. Surrounded by grasses and low sitting plants this rock garden will add a sense of tranquility to your outdoor space.  Nestled into a walk way this fountain offers the perfect resting area for you to ponder the day or clear your mind.   Water features like this are a fun way to bring your rock garden to life. Rocks are ideal in all soil types for proper drainage so you can easily create a filter system that returns that water back to the top of the fountain through pump buried below.Wall of rocks and tucked in plants

Rock Wall Garden

Sometimes as gardeners we are not always blessed with the perfect growing areas.  Sometimes the soil quality is less than ideal while other times we are forced to work with structures and slopes. If you’re like me living next to an escarpment having a rock wall in your yard can be a great garden transformation.

Some plants love being stuck in the nooks and crannies of rock walls due to their preference of low water and poor soil. Be sure to outfit your rock wall with these varieties, at first the wall might look like it’s lacking the proper vegetation, be patient and allow these hardy plants to establish and spread out.  Take a step back and review your work next year for gaps and holes that can be filled with new plants. Dry desert plant and rock garden

Desert Rock Garden

Depending on the climate you live in a desert rock garden may be your best or only option.   Luckily for you desert plants like succulents, cactus and other low water plants love being planted among rocks. Some garden beds like this one can be made up almost completely of small rocks for your growing medium.  This gives you a wide variety of options when making your plans, small rocks in beds and post while the larger stones nestle up against your aloe plants.  So, sit back relax an enjoy the heat!

Japanese mini rock garden

Japanese Garden Bed

Miniature creations can have the most rewarding outcomes. There is something special about scaling down a scene to only a few square feet. From tiny cooking videos to mini gardens this Japanese garden boasts true serenity. While it’s not easily seen in this picture the rock garden is surrounded by bamboo to keep it protected from tropical storms. The home owner recreated a dried-up riverbed to fully accentuate the different sizes and compositions of the rocks being used. While adding in a bit of overgrown grasses to complete the aged appearance in its true form.

Large walkway checker board pattern

Checker Board Walkway

Not all rock gardens have to be sticking out of the ground. Take this example, the checker pattern of the rocks creates an optical illusion that can bring just as much joy as a small and tamed cluster of rocks. By using square cut flagship stones the pattern is kept clean and simple with clear structure throughout.  As time goes on the grass will begin to overgrow, this can already be seen in the upper hand corners of the image.  Some might prefer this look as it adds a bit of character to the otherwise predictable pattern.

You made it to the end of the list!

Thanks for sticking around and going through all of our examples.  Have you come across a garden idea worth sharing? We would love to hear it, leave a comment in the box below so we can follow up.

Common questions:

How much will this cost?

While the cost will really depend on how much you are looking to build this chart below will give you a sense of what each commonly purchased stone will cost.   (prices vary based on your region)

Landscaping Rock Prices

Landscape Rock Type     Minimum Cost   Maximum Cost

Crushed Granite              $50/cubic yard  $70/cubic yard

Pea Gravel         $2/bag  $3/bag

River Rocks         $0.05/pound      $0.35/pound

Mexican Beach Pebbles $20/bag              $30/bag

Where should I build my rock garden?

It’s a good idea to build your garden in a place that’s easy to access. After all you’ve spent all the time building its your going to want to easily visit your creation from time to time. This is especially important during weeding season when fleece or plastic is not being used below.

Plants to choose from:

Small grown cover plants are your best option for small rock gardens. When building on a desert landscape look for drought tolerant plants like succulents.  If you choose to add a water feature then try including some creeping thyme or ferns.

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TOP-100 photos of beautiful and unusual design

Stone house - options for modern turnkey houses. 100 photos of the best projects of private houses made of stone

People have appreciated the advantages of stone houses over all others for a very long time. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, our ancestors did not accidentally settle in caves. Still, after all, a cave is the first stone house of man. The housing problem then was even more acute than it is today. There were not enough caves for everyone, these turnkey stone houses were then in great short supply, and the man faced the task of construction.

Since then it was a stone age, that is, everything a person needed was made of stone: knives, axes and even sewing needles, then a person also began to make his first houses from stone.

Unfortunately, not a single photo of the stone houses of that time has come down to us, and history is silent about how long it took a person to build his first real stone house.

Table of contents of the article:

Stone age in construction

But we know very well the result of this process. It is worth walking through the streets of any large city, as a vague doubt begins to creep into the soul: is this very Stone Age really over or is something hidden from us. Apparently, the Stone Age in construction will never end.

Of course, time does not stand still, and now the stones have changed. Today, no one drags boulders of limestone and sandstone, blocks of granite and marble along our roads. Nowadays, you almost never see walls built of huge stones, everything is neat and geometrically correct.

Natural stone is processed in an industrial way, as a result of which it becomes a small parallelepiped, resembling a brick in shape, and in this form it is sent to where stone houses are being built, and where it will become part of some wall.

Birthright of brick

Brick, by the way, is also a stone, only artificial. Among all the artificial stones known today, he is the firstborn. Made of clay and fired in a kiln, brick has long been perceived by people as such. No wonder that a stone house, most often, is called a brick house.

For quite a long time, traditional red bricks were replaced by white silicate bricks. Silicate is nothing but a stone, that is, white brick is a brick with stone filler. The same limestone or sandstone, or rather limestone or sandstone crushed into crumbs and added to the mortar, from which the bricks were then baked.

In general, of course, it is not very correct to call a brick that has its own name an artificial stone. It's like calling Vasya Petya, and Masha Natasha. Well, nothing, the times are now tolerant in the yard and this does not happen. It happens that they call Petya Masha, but Natasha Vasya and they do not take offense, they are even very pleased.

Other artificial stones

Through simple manipulations, people have long learned to make artificial granite and marble. Mix the solution with granite or marble chips and get the desired result. Of course, such a stone is significantly inferior to natural in strength, but on the other hand, it is produced in a form convenient for construction work.

As for the strength of artificial stone, it is quite enough for a house to stand for two or three hundred years, and then, God knows what will happen to it.

It is clear that by his death he will not die, will not fall apart under his own weight, but will be destroyed by a machine. Just because sooner or later new projects of stone houses will appear, therefore, this or that particular house will become morally and physically obsolete and will be demolished, and in its place another building will be erected from bricks of some other breed.

Most often, artificial granite or marble is used for decorative purposes, for finishing the outer part of the walls of buildings, and the walls themselves are built from concrete or aerated concrete blocks, or the same bricks. It is much cheaper than fiddling with natural stone.

Of course, if funds allow, why not build a real stone house, not even from bricks, but from natural stone mined in quarries and sawn into blocks.

Between strength and thermal conductivity

Of course, brick is also not bad, but it keeps heat much worse: it heats up quickly and cools down quickly. A house made of limestone will not only stand for hundreds of years, but will also allow you to maintain a favorable microclimate inside it at any time of the year. It will be warm in winter and cool in summer. The structure of this stone is such that it is significantly inferior in density and strength to granite, but that is why it retains heat better.

In general, the strength and durability of a stone is inversely related to its thermal conductivity. Porous material always retains heat better. It is not in vain that foam is often used as a heater, but at the same time, it is difficult to find a more fragile, unreliable material.

Combination of various materials and use of heat insulators has become a common technique in modern construction of private stone houses. Although if the stone wall of the house is two and a half bricks thick, then this will be quite enough for central Russia.

Of course, a private house is private because the strength and thermal insulation characteristics laid down in it do not correspond to some standards, but to the personal wishes of the owner, and it is he, and not anyone else, who decides in what way and in what as far as the stone house being built for him will be insulated. So, for example, the use of aerated concrete blocks, without fail, requires their external lining with a moisture-proof material.

Aerated concrete block has a porous structure, it is light and holds heat well. But in terms of strength, it is significantly inferior to ordinary bricks and, moreover, it is very hydroscopic, that is, it gets wet easily. When wet, it partially loses its heat-shielding properties.

Bricks and ordinary concrete blocks have high strength characteristics, but cannot compete with aerated concrete in terms of thermal protection. Conclusion: if a stone house is built from aerated concrete blocks and lined with facing bricks from the outside, then such a house will be both durable and warm.

Stone and wooden houses

Human fantasy does not stand still, new variants of houses appear every day. It has been practiced for a long time, and the method of building wooden-stone houses or stone-wood houses, as you like, has proven itself well. A stone-wooden house (probably, it will be more correct) differs from all others in that part of it is built of stone, part of wood.

This is not about the fact that some elements, such as: floor, rafters, window frames and window sills are made of wood. This goes without saying, and if only these elements were made of wood, they could not be mentioned at all.

The trick is that the walls of the house themselves are made half of stone and half of logs. From below, the masonry goes as usual, with red or sand-lime bricks, and so on up to the windows. From the level of windows or slightly lower, the construction of a wooden house begins.

Thus, several problems are solved at once. The house stands on a solid stone foundation, and its upper part, in which the living quarters are located, is a wooden eco-friendly housing. Wood is a material with very low thermal conductivity, it does not get very wet due to rain.

If the house were entirely made of wood, its lower crowns (logs) would rot very quickly, which is not observed in the upper part of the house. Such a house will last a long time and will be very warm. In addition, it looks from the outside, although somewhat bizarre, but at the same time it can be very beautiful, especially if it is lined with clapboard and painted.

Photos of stone houses

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