How to Decorate Your Outdoors With Landscape Rocks

A single rock may not seem like anything special but put together a bunch of them, and they can drastically change the aesthetics of your garden or yard. Rocks and stones are an excellent choice of landscaping materials that give a rugged natural look to your outdoor areas. There are many different designs and styles you can try out when landscaping with rocks.

So, what to do with rocks in the yard? If you need some creativity and inspiration, check out some of the amazing landscape rocks ideas we have listed below.

Top 6 Landscape Rocks Ideas

From bordering garden beds to building an entire rock garden, here are various designs and ideas for using rocks in the landscape:

Edging Flower Beds and Garden Beds

Medium-sized smooth rocks can be stacked together to create beautiful edges for flower beds and small gardens. Not only do they look good, but they also add a layer of basic protection for your garden. Rock edges can prevent flowers from spreading out to other garden areas and prevent grass and weeds from invading the flower bed.

Rock Garden

Rock gardens have a unique look that makes them immediately stand out and catch attention. Large rocks are better suited for rock gardens, and you can leave small spaces in between to let a little bit of grass and plantation grow around the rocks. The light or dull colors of rocks combined with bright green colors of grass and plants create a beautiful contrasting effect.

Rock Patio

A rock patio can be quite an ambitious and somewhat expensive project if you decide to make one, and it’s not going to be as simple as making a rock border for your garden. But it’s a lovely addition to any home as it’s not just aesthetically pleasing but also serves as a functional outdoor area with seating arrangements. It can be the perfect place for occasional events and get-togethers with friends and family, or simply to relax with a cup of tea in the morning.

Stairs

If you have an outdoor space or garden with an uneven surface, that’s the perfect setting for rock or stone stairs. The best part about using stones in landscaping is that you can unleash your creative streak and go with just about any type of design you can think of. The length and style of the stairs will depend on the slope of your garden surface. 

But one thing to consider when building stairs is that you’ll need large, flat rocks, and you must carefully choose the shape and size of the stone based on the design of the stairs.

Walkways

Just like stairs, you can also get very creative with walkways and think of your own unique designs. Some common ideas are big flat rocks embedded in the ground a few steps apart from each other or large rocks placed spaciously with pebbles and gravels filling up the gaps between them. Flagstones are also used frequently for making walkways in gardens or around the house. Installing a walkway will also cost you some money, even though it won’t be as expensive as constructing a rock patio.

Gravel Bed

One of the simplest stone landscaping options is to make a bed of gravels and pebbles. It adds a natural look to your outdoors, and it won’t be as complicated as constructing walkways or patios. For example, you could make a line of gravel all-around your house, or just make a small area of gravel-bed towards the entrance. You can decide the area, positioning, and style of the gravel bed as per your preference.

Installing and Landscaping with Rocks

Now that you know how to landscape with rocks and stones, you must plan out the process and acquire the required materials. In general, there are three things you must consider when landscaping with rocks:

Preparation

The initial preparation process involves planning out the design of your landscape and deciding which style, shape, and type of rocks will be the best fit. For more complicated constructions like walkways, stairs, and patios, additional preparations will be there, like measuring the area and digging out the ground to embed the stones.

Lining the Ground

If you’re fine with grass and weeds growing on your rocks, then this step is not required. But if you want the rocks to be clean and avoid the growth of small plants around the stones, then you must line the ground before placing the rocks. Plastic, paper, and fabric are all common materials used for lining the ground as they prevent weeds from growing under the rocks.

Laying the Rocks

For gravel beds, flower bed edges, or garden borders, you can lay the rocks independently. But for patios, stairs, and walkways, you may need to hire professionals that know how to landscape with rock.

Closing Thoughts

There are so many ideas and designs you can explore when landscaping with rocks. But one of the essential parts is to choose and decide the right elements of garden design. There are various types of rocks and stones out there you can use, so it can be confusing to figure out which type is suitable for different landscapes.

At Allied Landscape, you can find all kinds of landscape rocks under one roof. We offer flagstones, bluestones, edging stones, boulders, and more. Our quality products are not just limited to landscape rocks, but we also have other materials such as hardscape supplies, stone veneer, concrete, and masonry. 

If you want to redefine your home’s outdoors, Allied Landscape is your one-stop destination for all types of landscape rocks.