| It's time to break out of the everyday landscaping | | | | does have to be planned carefully. Rock doesn't |
| design. What does your lawn consist of? Lots of | | | | absorb water - so any rain run-off will go straight into |
| green grass - that takes a lot of time to mow and a | | | | your lawn and does need to be carefully drained off. |
| lot of water to look healthy, trees and shrubs. | | | | Don't put your rock garden over electrical or phone |
| Perhaps some flowerbeds flanking the house itself. | | | | lines, either. |
| But there's so much more you can do with your | | | | You may think that a rock garden is equivalent to a |
| landscaping, if you just decide to do things a bit | | | | Japanese garden, but that isn't necessarily the case. |
| differently. | | | | The Japanese garden combines three elements: |
| In desert locations, of course, like Arizona and | | | | stone which represents mountains or islands, water - |
| Mexico, why bother to try to force grass to grow at | | | | representing purity, and plants. A Zen garden is what |
| all? Why not simply cover your yard with attractive, | | | | most people think of when they hear the term |
| ornamental rock and stone, with a few shrubs. Or as | | | | Japanese garden - a stretch of white sand with black |
| the joke has it, "I'm retired, I've mowed my last | | | | rocks placed strategically about, and one meditates |
| lawn!" The reason is simple - you may think water is | | | | by raking the sand smooth. |
| a renewable resource - but it doesn't renew as fast | | | | There are two ways to install a rock garden...one |
| as mankind is consuming it. In desert states where | | | | would be to make the rock look like a natural |
| water comes from below ground aquifers, the level | | | | outcropping of bedrock...used to cut off an |
| of this fresh-water source is lowering every year, | | | | inconvenient slope. The more usual design is to pile up |
| and rainwater cannot replenish that level fast enough. | | | | the stones - both large and small - in harmonious |
| Even if you don't live in a desert climate, there's no | | | | groupings...and if you simply must have greenery, |
| reason why you can't make a rock garden - either | | | | leave small gaps between the rocks into which the |
| large or small - in part of your yard. Such a garden | | | | plants may be placed. |
| will cut down on the time needed to mow your lawn, | | | | Surf the web to get ideas for how to design your |
| there'll be no need to spread pesticides around, and it | | | | rock garden, and venture far and wide, into sites |
| will be a quiet and restful place around which to sit. | | | | from Japan and India as well as the United States. |
| Like any other landscaping element, a rock garden | | | | You'll find beauty everywhere. |