How to Design With River Rocks

Stack river rocks on top of each other to create low, natural rock walls. Using larger river rocks, you can stack them in long rows to create walls around fountains, ponds, trees, and almost any structure in your garden. Rock walls help contain plants and give your garden a more organized look.

Engrave the tops of river rocks and place them as decorative pieces in your garden. Use larger river rocks and have them engraved with special dates, names of children or any other text you might like. These rocks add a personalized touch to your garden.

Create a border around your pond using a thin layer of small river rocks. Adding rocks around the outside of a body of water will give it a more natural feel, because most ponds are surrounded by rocks. This will also provide you with a solid area to stand on, while completing pond maintenance.

Fill pathways with a thin layer of river rocks. Use a quantity of larger river rocks to create pathways around your backyard. This will give you a place to walk, without trampling on any plants or flowers and can help break up your garden visually.

Cover the bottom of a pond with river rocks to make it look more natural. In nature, the bottom of a pond would typically be littered with river rocks. Achieve this look by placing large and small rocks in the bottom of the pond---not only will they cover up the liner, but the rocks will also provide smaller pond fish with nooks in which they can hide.