Do you have plenty of rocks of your own on the property? If they are easy to move and not larger than a football you can create a meandering dry riverbed that goes through the trouble spot. Link one end of the riverbed to another feature in your yard like a deck or patio. If plants will grow in the area put a few along the edges of the riverbed. If there no useable rocks, you'll have to purchase them or find a farmer that has a pile of stones that have been cleared from the fields. He may be happy to get rid of them. The other choices are landscaping companies and sand and gravel quarries. If you purchase large stones or boulders have the spot ready for them when they are delivered. Heavy machinery is usually needed to place them, so choose carefully where they are going to sit. Once they are in place, it's going to be difficult to move them without equipment.

For large stones and boulders, you will want to prepare a shallow hole for them to sit in. This gives a natural look as though if the stones are growing out of the ground. It looks much better than just setting them on top of the ground. If you would like to add a little color and make the rocks appear aged, grind up yogurt, potter's clay and moss in a blender. Then simply pour the mixture on the rocks. It will begin to grow and you have instant color and aging.

Plants for your rock garden
Once you have the rocks placed, you will probably want to add some carefree and drought resistant plants to make it look completely natural. These plants are easy growers and relatively drought resistant: lamb's ears, coreopsis, sedum, echinacea (coneflower), stonecrop and many varieties of ornamental grasses. If you're not sure about what plants are easy to take care of and drought resistant look up information on “xeriscaping”. Xeriscaping was developed for landscaping in arid parts of the country to reduce the requirement for watering.

Unlimited possibilities and an abundance of stone
There is no limit to creating rock garden landscapes. Rocks and stones come in any size, color and texture that you want. Colors range from the brilliant white of limestone, to the grays and blacks of slate and granite with everything in between. Rock garden landscapes are relatively inexpensive and destined to last a very long time with little or no maintenance. For more backyard ideas check out our Tuscan landscapethemed yard article. If designing is not your thing or you're a little uncertain about what you should do, contact a local professional landscape contractor with Renovationexperts.com to help. They know what works best for rock garden landscapes in your area.