Tips for Landscaping with Rocks and Boulders

Landscaping with rocks and boulders is such an easy way to not only instantly improve your home’s curb appeal but it’s also a very smart way to prevent erosion and help to retain moisture in garden beds. Today, I am showing you some beautiful ways to incorporate rocks and boulders into your landscaping.

When I was in Salt Lake City a few weeks ago for the Utah Valley Parade of Homes, I saw so many yards and gardens landscaped with rocks and boulders that I was so inspired with all of the beautiful ways homeowners incorporated them.

Because boulders and rocks are less expensive and abundant in mountain/rocky areas like Salt Lake, we see more creative landscaping uses. However, boulders and rocks should be available at your local stone/gravel yard for landscaping. You can go to look and pick out which coloring/size you want and the stone/gravel yards should deliver.  You can also work through a local landscaper.

 

Enhancing Curb Appeal

Boulders and rocks can greatly enhance a flower bed or yard because it adds texture, height, focal interest and the best part is that rocks are organic and natural. Mixed with different levels and colors grasses, flowers and plants, the combination is natural and interesting.

 

Larger boulders/ rocks mixed with trees and shrubs can be used as a privacy screen in addition to enhancing curb appeal and adding natural beauty to a yard.

 

This rock garden bed below incorporated smaller rocks instead of mulch, which is another option.

 

 

Creating garden beds in your yard either by lining or simply mixing in the rocks adds beauty and breaks up the yard with more focal interest. Better yet, less mowing is needed and these rock beds can look pretty even in the winter when the grass is dead.

For example, this home below just buried a few larger rocks about halfway into the dirt and plants were sporadically planted. The rocks add interest and also help to hold in moisture for the bed.

 

This home below used a lot of rocks and boulders in their landscape using a combination of burying rocks partially, mixing in ground cover flowers/plants and strategically planting trees at different points in the landscape. On the right side, the boulders were stacked and used to prevent erosion as there is a change in elevation.

This is a fantastic way to make your yard more organic and natural instead of just an all grass yard. This is also a great way to address changes in yard elevation.

 

The home below doesn’t have a change in yard elevation but the homeowners took it one step further and used the rocks, boulders, dirts and grasses by building the bed up to create an illusion of a change of elevation. Absolutely beautiful idea to enhance this home’s curb appeal!

 

Even just adding a rock grouping in a bed can is a beautiful way to add natural interest and height in a garden bed.

 

 

Changes in Elevation

If you have a significant or even minor change of elevation in your yard, large boulders are a beautiful alternative to retaining walls.

 

Boulders and rocks are simply stacked and positioned between the change in elevation serving and can also serve as a border for a garden bed. Boulders are positioned and stacked in the dirt and smaller gravel can be added to fill in at the sides.

Here’s the start of a garden bed in a new home that has a change in elevation.

 

In yards with a very slight change in elevation, a single row of boulders may be all that’s needed. Another option is to have a single row of boulders/rocks and stair-step up with a garden bed and then another row of boulders/rocks as was done below:

 

In yards with severe changes in elevation that will be prone to erosion, boulders/rocks can be buried and positioned into the dirt and stacked. Filling holes with gravel and planting grasses and ground cover will fill gaps.

 

 

 

 

There are so many different options when it comes to incorporating rocks and boulders into a landscape and gardens. It’s such a beautiful and more natural look and again, if you want to do this in your own yard, you can start by contacting your local landscaper or gravel/stone yard to find out where to find boulders/rocks in your area.

If you want to see more homes from the Utah Valley area, you can see my UV Parade of Homes recap here.

Thanks for stopping by today friends!

Cheers!

Cyndy