How To Incorporate Rocks Into Your Landscaping

Are you getting a little bit of cabin fever this winter? Are you more than ready to be done with the snow and ice so that you can get back outside, enjoying all that Washington area has to offer? Us too. Although the winter has kept us busy providing snow removal services to folks in Spokane, Liberty Lake, and Spokane Valley, we’re already itching to get back to the landscaping services that we love.

Although you can’t get outside to mow, rake, and plant your garden seeds, now is a great time to start thinking about landscaping projects you might want to tackle when the weather gets warmer. When many people hear the word landscaping, they assume it means planting trees and flowers, or building a water feature in the backyard. While these are indeed examples of landscaping, they’re not the only types of projects our residential landscaping team enjoys completing. In addition to softscaping (landscape design that incorporates living materials), we’re also experts in hardscaping (landscaping design that incorporates inanimate materials)! This means working with concrete, brick, composite decking, pavers, stone, tile, and wood.

In today’s post, we’d like to talk about landscaping ideas that incorporate rocks and stones, two of the most affordable and durable landscaping materials available.

Why Landscape With Rocks?

We’ve already hinted at two of the best reasons to think about landscaping with rocks and stones, their durability and relative affordability. While rock landscaping can have a higher upfront cost than other materials, the cost over time is typically lower since rocks rarely break down or lose their effectiveness. Another major benefit of landscaping with rocks is the fact that they’re very low maintenance. Other materials must be repaired, refinished, or replaced every year or so in order to keep up their appearance and functionality. Not so with rocks! Once placed, rock landscaping projects rarely require much upkeep from you.

Rock Landscaping Project Ideas

So what kinds of landscaping features can you create with rocks? You might be surprised by the variety of options!

Rock Gardens/Crevice Garden

No, you can’t grow a garden full of flowers, but you can use rocks to create a striking centerpiece around which your flowers and shrubs will look even more beautiful! When we create rock garden landscaping pieces for our clients, we typically choose one or two boulders that have a unique shape, center them in the desired space, and surround them with closely spaced, low-lying flowers.

Rock Mulch

Mulching around trees and flower beds is a great way to reduce moisture loss and protect plants from extreme temperature swings. While organic mulch is cheaper, it also fades quickly and must be replaced every year. Rock mulch, on the other hand, looks beautiful and will likely last for the full lifetime of your landscaping. At Impeccable Landscapes, we especially like to use light colored mulch in beds that contain dark, leafy plants because the contrast is quite striking.

Rock Retaining Walls

Want to add depth and texture to your yard? Does your property have a hilly area that puts you at risk for erosion? A rock retaining wall can be the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone. (Actually more like several dozen stones, but we digress.) Unlike retaining walls made from wood, which degrade over time, and concrete, which can block water flow, rock retaining walls are the perfect way to allow some drainage while holding soil and turf firmly in place. Not to mention that the nooks and crannies created by the stacked rocks are perfect for planting succulents!

Choosing The Right Rocks For Your Landscape

Options include:

• Decomposed Granite
• Pea Gravel
• River Rock
• Crushed Granite Gravel
• Mexican Beach Pebbles
• More!

Stay tuned for more about the pros and cons of each of these rock landscaping materials in a future post!

Impeccable Landscapes Is Your Expert In Spokane!

Are you looking for a change when it comes to your landscaping? Impeccable Landscape employs only the best yard maintenance and landscape design professionals. We’ve helped hundreds of residential and commercial customers take their properties from drab to fab, and we’d love to do the same for you. Contact us today to see how affordable professional landscaping can be!