Rock Gardening

What better location than breath-taking Lake OHara to get the inspiration to build and love rock gardens! That's what happened to Louise Addison and Dorothy Richardson as they enjoyed the virgin site of rocks, water and the adaptations of plants in the alpine habitats of the Rocky Mountains. In March, 1995, they shared 'the agony and the ecstasy" of creating their Bedrock Gardens with the OHS. Using appropriate slides they informed and entertained the members.

The unending number of shapes and kinds of rocks translates into the many ways they can be used. A gently sloping lawn can become a suburban rock garden. The steep slope of a retaining wall, a terrace, or the need to conceal an object such as an air conditioner may call for the use of rocks. In the latter case some large boulders with dwarf conifers will do the job. A pebble mulch for a weeping crabapple tree and birdbath could define the end of a long perennial bed. A layer of scree can replace grass in a front lawn.

A bare slab of rock or a natural erratic can stand alone without plantings. A dry river bed, a stream meandering through the garden may be created by laying river pebbles in that shape

Before starting construction, there are some limits to consider:

1) Cost: are you going to do it yourself, do part of it, hire a landscaper?

2) Time: preparing the site, acquiring and arranging the rocks, letting it settle, the planting.

3) The labour and tools, the size or rocks, the muscle available.

Where will the rock come from? What colours, shapes, and sizes will you want? You should use a variety of shapes and sizes but a good design will require that your colours blend, the rock type is constant and the forms such as strata lines are similar.

And what tools will you need? A child's sled can be used for hauling. A long crowbar can pry and nudge heavy rocks into place. Sometimes the fractured rock from a roadside outcropping can be whisked up with a broom to supply some scree.

If you're doing the collecting yourself, it is wise to consider first your own strength, then that of your vehicle.

You will have considered the suitability of the location you want to develop. Has it sun, good drainage, little competition from tree roots, and easy access to a water source?

Please contact the OHS or the author if you wish to republish these articles. © Ottawa Horticultural Society

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