Black Bamboo

Stone and rock can play a key role in your garden plan. Either because they are already there and you can't get rid of them, or because you like them and want to add additional interest.

Thirty years ago rockeries were a very common feature of gardens, and many people restoring or taking over old gardens are confronted with these. Seldom did they look natural, and often they did little for the garden as a whole. Happily the use of stone in the garden has progressed a little, and the main thrust nowadays is either to use rock in as natural a way as possible; or to use it in a dramatic, sculptural way. Each can work very well, depending on the situation.

On the smallest scale, gravel and stone pathways can make one of the most attractive -and easy to lay and maintain - ways to move around your garden. Quarry 'rubble' gravel of different sizes can be bought very cheaply or, more expensively, pebbles and carefully graded rock can give a completely different look to your garden. The most looks more rustic, the second more sophisticated.

Larger rocks can go a long way to providing additional interest to the garden, and something for the plants to contrast with. This enhances both the plants and the garden as a whole. Often a few 'medium sized' (15-20 centimetres across) stones simply placed sparingly among the garden border can be very appealing.

Rocks also play an important  role in certain styles of garden eg Japanese style gardens. It is perhaps from this style that the idea arrived of simply placing two or three large, dramatic rocks together as a centrepiece for a garden, while abandoning the other, more restrictive elements of this type of garden.

The rock you choose should usually be the rock that is indigenous to your region - limestone, granite, sandstone etc - if it is to look natural. Also note that rocks in the wild seldom just sit on the soil surface - rather, they emerge from the soil, perhaps 50% buried below the surface. This is what you need to do in your own garden. this also helps with stability when children start playing on them!

Try your local garden supplier if you are buying large stones and rocks, but also your local builders merchants. And if you want really impresive rocks to act as a focus point in your garden, get to your local quarry. They will be able to find a piece of rock that exactly meets your requirements, however large, and deliver it to your home.