How can one take a postage stamp-sized back yard and landscape effectively? The image below is of a home with a 15 foot by 60 foot rear yard. Grass was out of the picture, owing to allergies and a sense of water-conservation on the part of the owner. Glaring sun was another factor – relentless and hotter than heck with still air a factor from the high fencing.
Use rocks!
(left click to enlarge any image, sometimes twice for better detail)
A mix of perennials, some grasses, a shrub or two and a Decomposed Granite walkway gives us something which is at least interesting. This picture is about 2 months following installation and I can definitley say that everything grew remarkably well.
This property below was featured in the post I made most recently. I just recently re-discovered these pictures I had misplaced. Here is how the Lunar Landscape evolved. Note the different types of rock. I used a river rock type in the creek bed, drainage swale and the more pretty igneous types in the rockery/bed. From these humble origins –
To this:
From This:
To this:
Below is the bare bones of a water feature project – among other facets of a complex operation – near a porch where we utilized Reno’s “rock assets” liberally. We “mined” a few of these and ordered up the more rounded river rocks. It can seem weird, featuring such a sun-burnt, crispy lichen-covered boulder such as this in the middle of a water feature, of all things, but the surprise element, mixed with its stunning color and texture was too much to pass up.
Honestly, using the river rocks is probably one of my favorite pastimes, in their billions of applications. As my companies have matured and individual “specialists” formed, it always seemed I would have one guy who took as much interest in making artificial creek beds as myself. Many projects would find me and “that guy” busy building little naturalistic creeks while the other slugs were off planting plants or making paver systems work. 😉
It’s a weakness. Hey! Look! Here’s a specialist now!
Mixing can be as fun – after all a certain shamelessness never hurt in design and installing one’s own particular set of rules and non-regulations.
There are times when mixing a blend of volcanic rocks with the smoothed-out Granite, river-washed look can be effective:
