Great stone garden ideas

Gardens are the blank canvas on which you can express all your ideas, bringing together your favourite flowers and plants with a whole host of features.

Taking your garden to the next level is definitely a way to get your creative juices flowing and when it comes to ideas for gardens with stones, don’t think you have to stick with a traditional look.

As lovers of the RHS Flower Show will be well aware, anything goes when it comes to rocks and gardens!

OK, so garden ideas with rocks and stones are nothing new, but with so many different varieties of materials now easily available, the possibilities are endless.

You can use a variety of decorative stones to create interest and texture, as well as do all the practical stuff such as creating patios and pathways – in a nutshell, they are a must-have for the modern horticulturalist.

So, if you are looking for great stone garden ideas, read on…

Garden stone ideas for pathways

At their most basic level, paths are what connects the garden to the rest of the home, but they can also be used to create visual interest in different areas.

You can construct charming pathways using a variety of stones and you can dream up designs that are as simple or as intricate as you like.

One bold idea for example is to use geometric stones in varying sizes to create a pattern that’s both functional and stylish.

Pathways don’t always have to lead up to the home, but can be used to highlight the beauty of a particular area of the garden or create mystery by weaving through a dense area of shrubs and bushes.

You could create a stone path which leads up to a water feature, or an artistic installation, or one that takes you on an exploration of all that is beautiful in the garden.

Stepping stones are a lovely garden feature too, but again you don’t have to follow tradition.

Of course, the rustic look of natural stone paving will always complement your planting. However, you can also use them to create a contemporary aesthetic.

For example, you could use precision cut porcelain slabs in dark grey as a counterpoint to your greenery or use them to bring a sharp edge to a natural stone pathway.

You can also form a focal point by getting creative with different textured and coloured pavers.

Ideas for garden stones when creating a pathway include:

Mixing up different edging to create depth and design flair
Using different shapes and sizes of slab
Experimenting with pattern. You don’t have to lay them in a uniform way

To bring in all kinds of fabulous, and ensure that your guests don’t get lost in your garden at night in the process, why not enhance your beautiful pathway with outdoor lighting?

If you love the clean lines of modern design, then by choosing ground level light fixtures that are the same colour as your porcelain or stone tiles, you can create something that’s really modern and minimalist to compliment the contemporary look of your home.

Finally, last but not least, if you’re looking for garden stones ideas that are affordable then don’t overlook the many qualities of gravel.

This ever popular and cheaper option has loads of versatility enabling you to create any shape of path you choose and if you want to increase the wow factor use a beautiful material such as porcelain or granite as edging for a dramatic finish.

Garden ideas with rocks and stones

Rock Gardens

Decorative stone ideas for the garden need to be practical, as well as fanciful, and rock gardens can be both!

The reason? Well, they’re just such an interesting way to display plants no matter what size patch you have.

They’re perfect for displaying pretty little alpines, and for creating areas suited to specific types of plants. For example, you can place rocks so that shade tolerant plants have a happy habitat and ones which require more sun can make the most of the day’s rays.

They’re also great for gardens which slope or have sloping areas.

Rock gardens (as their name suggests) requires a variety of rock, stones, slate, and gravel.

You might want to opt for a local stone to blend in with the environment, but whatever you choose you will need it in different sizes and shapes, so that it looks like something that has been formed naturally, rather than a uniform arrangement.

Constructing a rockery can either be done with the help of a professional landscape designer, or you could have a go yourself, especially if it’s not too big a project.

You’ll need to mark out the area where you want your rock garden to go, then ensure it’s free from weeds.

Afterwards, you must lay a base of coarse rubble - stone, broken bricks, ballast or pea shingle is good - or you can use a polythene sheet with holes punched into it or permeable landscape fabric.

Then comes the fun part; arranging the rocks and plants.

The RHS suggests stones are buried about a third of their depth and be tilted backwards to give them stability and a natural look.

It also says that covering the area with upturned turf before adding soil and compost is a way to stop the latter

from falling into the cracks between rocks.

Creating a rock garden takes some thought, as you need to consider the type of plants you’ll be displaying there.

Drought-resistant plants like sedums and sempervivums combined with materials such as sandstone will be ideal for those who want their rock garden to be low maintenance.

Other plants that work well in a rock garden include alpines and evergreen shrubs that can still look interesting even in the depths of winter.

Consider spiky plants like perovskia, yucca, knipfofia too, and then you can add lovely seasonals such as snowdrops and daffodils to bring colour in early spring.

If you are stuck for decorative stones for gardens ideas, research the stone prevalent in your area as this will give your rock garden a natural, organic look.

You don’t need to clean your rocks.

In fact, you should just let them weather and grow lichens land moss which helps the surrounding environment and adds to the feeling that the garden just developed naturally.

As well as planting you also need to work out drainage, as you don’t want your plants to be washed way in a deluge.

For example, you don’t want to create your rockery on land that has a lot of clay as this could impede drainage but laying drainage gravel should help to solve any problem.

For some great tips on how to build a rock garden take a look at www.rhs.org.uk/garden-design/alpine-rock-gardening

Water features

Rocks and stones can be used to dramatic effect around a water feature.

You can use a variety of rocks, gravel, and boulders to frame a garden waterfall, creating an enchanting focal point, especially on an area of the garden where there is a slope.

A feature such as a pond or fountain can also look stunning when surrounded by slabs of stone.

Again, the choice of rock is all yours; just be aware that if you’re building the rockery on your own, you should choose stone in sizes you are strong enough to actually manoeuvre into place.

Once you’ve arranged your rocks attractively around your feature you might want to give it even more impact by adding coloured lights to illuminate both the rocks and trickling water when night falls. How romantic!

Edging and borders

Edging and borders are great for portioning up areas of your garden and making sense of different kinds of planting.

They’re also a cheap way to give your outside space a new pulled together look and a way to get creative.

If you’re are looking for decorative stones for gardens ideas for your edging and borders, then try experimenting with different types of stone.

The most popular for this kind of project are limestone, sandstone, granite, or shale.

Don’t forget that minimalist modern and urban gardens can benefit from the contrasting texture of rugged stone or pebbles.

You can use decorative stones to edge the space between sleek porcelain paving and a raised flower bed or use stunning dark grey or black pebbles to create contrast and detail.

If you want a fun, quirky take on a border then you could add vibrancy by painting small rocks then arranging them along the edge.

To create a border, all you need to do is gather your rocks, clean and dry them, then paint them in your chosen colours.

Among other garden stones ideas is the pretty simple one of edging your garden with the stone you have used for your paving.

Cut at a width to fit the space around a pathway or flowerbed, this edging will produce a sleek minimalist look that is very on trend for today’s gardens.

Stepping stones

Stepping stones are perfect for adding a charming flourish to your garden.

The rock you choose will probably complement the materials you’ve already laid elsewhere, and the way in which they are laid will depend upon your garden’s vibe.

Will you be creating the entrance to a magical fairy kingdom of overhanging trees and shrubs and pretty wild flowers?

Then you might want a rustic, rough, hewn type of stone.

But the choice between manufactured and natural pavers is all yours.

Don’t think that you need to stick to rectangular, or blocky shapes, either.

You might want smooth ovals or stones of differing sizes and shapes to take people on a journey into your garden.

You can lay your stones any way you like too. Surrounding them by gravel is a popular choice but you can equally embed them into the lawn. Again, it’s all about getting those creative juices flowing.

Retaining walls

Stones are used to create something called a dry stack wall, which is exactly as it sounds – a wall built from natural stones positioned on top of each other without the use of mortar.

This dry stack method is perfect for gardens that are terraced, or to prevent erosion.

It’s probably best to use flat or cut stones for your DIY project as these are much easier to pile on top of one another.

Ideas for garden stones when building a retaining wall include adding plants in gaps in the wall for a natural rustic look. Cascading plants are perfect for these types of walls.

Stone seating

Stones are fantastic if you want to create a seating area in your garden.

You can build legs for a bench in stone, then top them with a beautiful piece of wood, a large stone slab, or mark out a seating area with stones to take advantage of a beautiful view.

Another idea is to dig a sunken area in part of your garden and then construct a seating area around a water feature.

The beauty of stone garden furniture is that it is incredibly durable and can actually improve in looks as it ages.

Stone mosaics

If it was good enough for the Romans, it’s good enough for your garden!

Creating intricate mosaic designs using small pebbles or polished stones will add interest. Why not incorporate mosaics into pathways, patios, or garden walls for added visual pizazz and texture?

Rock planters

Use hollowed-out rocks or stacked stones to create unique planters for flowers or succulents.

You can use smaller rocks to display plants along a border and larger ones on patios, or larger ones as a container for an arrangement of plants at the entrance of your home.

There are myriad other ways you can get creative with rocks.

For example, by using them as garden sculptures, or for a Japanese-style garden featuring clipped shrubs and miniature trees positioned around layers of rock and stepping stones.

For inspiration, visit our dedicated decorative aggregates product range and learn more about the kinds of stones you can use to make your garden even more beautiful.

Great stone garden ideas

Gardens are the blank canvas on which you can express all your ideas, bringing together your favourite flowers and plants with a whole host of features

Garden stone ideas for pathways