When it comes to choosing materials in the garden, most of us think that there are a couple of obvious choices. 

Stone is something that one might not think of immediately. You could create pretty amazing projects with natural rocks and can help you set the tone for the rest of your garden. 

In this post, we’ll walk you through the seven creative ways you can use stones in landscaping. 

Sidewalk Landscaping With Rocks

If there are no significant restrictions on your street strip, why not take advantage of it, and get creative? 

Using a combination of mulch, river rocks, and ornamental plants and grasses help create a curb appeal. 

Building Stone Walls

There are a lot of things that you can do with stone walls in landscaping:

• Separate your lawn from the street
• Use it to line the sides of the driveway
• Mark boundary lines and property corners
• Enclose flower beds and vegetable gardens
• Avoid erosion

When building a stone wall, you need to decide whether or not you’ll utilize a mortar to help hold the rocks in place.

 If you’re using round stones, then you need to use it. Because they’re not as stable as flat rocks, you need mortar to prevent them from moving. 

Use Rocks to Create a Border

Plants like groundcover flowering plants and shrubs can creep into your lawn. As a result, it can create a messy look. To develop a sense of structure on your landscape design, make use of rocks to create a border. 

If you have bigger plants, make use of bordering rocks about the size of a bowling ball and baseball. The more variation your border rocks have, the more rustic, and cottage-like the atmosphere will be. 

For less intrusive plants, build a border between the grass and the ground, and use rocks that are the size of a grapefruit, or lemon. 

Make a Stone Path

Another great look that you can incorporate in your landscape is stone pathways. If you want to create a more uniform look, use bricks. 

According to World of Stones, “If you’re opting for a more whimsical feel, picking stepping stones, and slightly spacing them out in the grass will allow you to achieve this look. Moreover, when creating a stone path, avoid using gravel, as these can quickly shift underfoot and may lead to injuries because of unsteady footing.”

Stone Fence Close-up

A stone fence help add personality and character to your garden or yard. 

It uses stones from various hues and sizes, which fits in a wooded landscape. 

Stone Waterfall and Using Rocks in a Water Garden

There is something magical about incorporating rock and water in your landscape. 

Fountains made from stone are a great suggestion if you’re looking for a rock and water combination. 

You don’t need to have a huge fountain to make an impression. Even small rock fountains can already make an impact on a small property. 

Apart from creating rock fountains, water gardens can also create an interesting look in your yard. Adding rocks alongside it helps add variety. 

Using Different Rock Colors to Create Patterns

Rocks don’t have to be an accent to your landscape’s overall design. You can utilize two or more colors to create stunning patterns. 

You can also use them to highlight your featured plants or create a softer look. 

If you don’t want to go with different rock colors, you might want to utilize border bricks to create a higher contrast. 

Pick Rocks Instead of Mulch

Mulch is the most common filler used around trees and flower garden beds. But you can swap it instead of rocks. 

Rather than having to replace faded or missing mulch, rocks retain their color over time, and it needs very little maintenance.

If you’re using low humidity plants like succulents, you need to choose rocks over mulch. With mulch, water is easily trapped and raises the humidity. 

This can cause the roots of your cactus and succulents to rot. But when you use rocks, you’ll have better soil drainage, overall. 

Stone Bench

This design is simple yet aesthetically appealing. 

Use a stone garden bench anywhere you want to draw attention or create a quiet chat space. 

You can also plant attractive foliage around the stone bench to develop a sense of comfort and privacy to the person sitting on it. 

Final Thoughts

Rocks is a hardscape material that helps bring out the beauty of your plants and create a sense of structure to your garden. 

This all-natural material requires very little maintenance, unlike wood hardscaping, concrete, or brick. It’s also one of the most versatile materials that you can use for your landscaping makeover.