Native Plants & Rock Landscape Ideas

Rock Gardens Featuring Wildflowers

• Choose native rocks for your garden. If you live in Wisconsin, North or South Carolina, Vermont or New Hampshire, use granite to create your rock garden. If you live in Indiana or Tennessee, use limestone or river rock, or marble for a natural choice in Alabama.

  Place the stones and small boulders in various sections of the yard, positioning them as naturally as possible—no geometric patterns or straight lines. Then sink them a few centimeters to an inch into the ground so that they look as if they have been there for some time. Purchase wildflower seeds at your local nursery or the garden section of your local super center. The species that generally develop from these seeds are wallflowers, coreopsis, forget-me-nots, Shasta daisies, baby's breath, foxglove, black-eyed Susan, purple coneflower and poppies, which will fill your garden with deep yellows, blues, oranges and pinks. Prepare the soil, and then sprinkle the seeds into the soil around the rocks. As these indigenous plants grow, they will provide a frame for your native rocks, while still keeping in tune with the natural feel of your surroundings.

Raised Rock Beds with Native Plantings

• Raised garden beds are great for areas of your yard where the soil needs to be amended, whether it is too acidic, not acidic enough, too moist or too full of clay. By adding a raised bed, you can fill that bed with prime topsoil and grow healthy plants in an area of your yard that you did not think was possible.

  Gather indigenous rocks, stones and boulders and stack them up so that the walls of your raised bed are a foot high. For a less structured look, design your bed in a free-form pattern, not rectangular or oval. Be sure to use mortar to hold the stones together. Plant native plants with varying color patterns. Gather your wildflower seeds and plant them in your natural rock bed.

Rock Edging and Native Plants around a Pond

• If you have a pond in your garden, a great way to utilize native plants and rocks is by lining the outside of your pond with various indigenous stones. The stones work to form a natural frame around your pond. In addition to stones, you can place wildflowers in tufts around your pond, especially in areas where you need to hide pond pump cords and hoses. Backyard Gardener suggests you use plants that will cascade over the pond. These additions will give your pond a more natural look and feel.