Using Landscape Rocks in Your Design

I define landscape rocks as any real rocks that already exist in your backyard landscape that you would like to design around, or any synthetic type of rock that you would use to hide an unsightly protrusion in your yard, or simply for decoration. For anyone who does not already have any 500 pound landscape rocks lying around in their yard, it is usually much, much easier to work with a synthetic rock that can be easily moved if necessary.

When I first moved into my house, there was a huge flagpole in the front yard. It was leaning like the Tower of Pisa, and the top of the pole was buried in a full grown oak tree. I would have liked to use it, but it was beyond functional at that point, and it was in a very awkward location.

I was able to disassemble the pole, and remove it, with the exception of the 12-inch base poking out of the soil. I didn’t want to go through the trouble of having it removed by someone who knew what they were doing (not me!) so I created a backyard landscape design around the area which includes placing a synthetic rock over the pole base. I could have chosen to simply landscape the area around the pole, but I am worried about the possible danger it would be if left sticking out of the ground. Besides the fact that I really like the look of a large rock strategically placed in a landscape design. There’s something rustic and natural about the look!

Landscape rocks, both synthetic and natural, come in all different shapes and sizes. A larger rock can stand alone in a design, however, small and medium rocks should be placed in groupings. I have seen some designs that will have rocks scattered throughout the plantings as if they were “thrown” there and allowed to stay where they landed. Very pretty!

Some landscape rocks are decorative by design, and can be ordered with your street address placed on the front. I have seen these designs come equipped both with and without lighting behind the numbers.

Look around at homes in your neighborhood to observe how others have used this feature in their designs. I would suggest that wherever you decide to place your rocks, make sure that the rock is completely surrounded by the mulch you are using. If the rock is sitting on the lawn, you’ll have to worry about edging. I always prefer to make my landscape as easy to maintain as possible, and this means handling lawn care maintenance as easily as possible, and eliminating the need for an edger or a trimmer.

Good luck on finding the perfect rock for your landscape. As always, enjoy the process!

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