For those who love gardening and taking care of their landscapes, winter means a little downtime. With the cold weather, outdoor garden work has come to a close, but winter is a great time to dream and plan for next year’s landscape. Have you considered adding some rock or boulders to your yard to enhance its appeal?
While adding a dry creek beds with stone adds a focal interest to the yard adding large rocks called boulders can add a sense of drama. When adding stone to a landscape varying the size of the stones can change a landscape into a beautiful natural setting with plantings. Boulders can help to reduce the angular lines of a rectangular lot. By creating gentle curves with boulders a more natural appearance tends to take place as opposed to the lot looking like a house was just planted on it. But if boulders aren’t well placed they can result in a very confusing landscape.
Boulders can be used to soften the finite line of a fence. Avoid placing boulders in a straight line. Adding plantings around them at significant points can actually enclose a space making an intimate area for a fire pit or dining area. The boulders actually define the outdoor living room.
Large boulders can be used to signal changes in the grades of the landscape. If the grade change is large than the boulders used should be larger as the grade changes so should the size of the boulders. They can also be used in a group to showcase special plantings. Place boulders in groups of three. Grouped together, boulders can appear to be one large boulder or a rocky outcropping. Boulders can frame a dry creek bed which doubles as a walkway with steeping stones down the middle. They are buried partly underground to create a natural look. They also offer the opportunity to create places for plantings.
Boulder retaining walls also add another level of drama as they are placed in the landscape to help with erosion and define spaces. They also add opportunities for planting in between the rocks.
If you have questions about how boulders and rock work might fit into your landscape plans, give us a call. We offer landscape design services for the entire Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.
