Rock for Gardens - Where to Find Them

Are you searching for a cheap yet aesthetically pleasing way to decorate your garden? Consider rocks for gardens. Landscape rocks, when paired with native plants, are low-water landscape alternatives. Other benefits of landscape rocks are the little maintenance required and you get a truly natural feel and look. Unless your home is set on a river bed, it is unlikely that you will have enough stones to incorporate into your landscape design. So, where do you get the extra rocks?

Try digging up to find rocks for gardens. Some parts of the U.S. have rocks lying just below the surface. You could visit farms (seek permission before doing this) to collect rocks. Some farmers pile up rocks they encounter when preparing their land for farming. Most farmers are only too willing to get rid of such rocks and they will not charge you a thing.

You could get your rocks from old mines and queries. You could contact the relevant authorities about abandoned queries or mines in the area. Mines and queries are great when searching for rocks since the rocks will already be in sizes that are ready for use.

You could get the rocks for gardens from inner city developments. Urban dwelling development goes hand in hand with the digging up of tons of rocks that are usually shipped offsite. Skyscraper foundations go very deep, into the bedrock, for the building to be stable. Yet another option is demolished/renovated gardens. Owners of demolished/renovated gardens will only be too willing to give you the rocks since they will be saving on refuse fees.

If you live near a river or a rocky beach, you could always visit them to correct rocks.

You could get your rocks in landscape nurseries. These are basically outlets that sell stones. Although the stones here are usually expensive, this is a good option because you get to choose from a wide variety and from different styles and sizes.

You could go to salvage yards where you could find salvaged stone foundations. In some parts in the U.S., commercial buildings were built with local sandstone. This looks fantastic in gardens. The stones are usually in rectangular pieces, each weight about 100 lbs. You could get the rocks for as little as $120 a ton.

Yet another source of rocks for gardens is the National Forest System. There are local ranger stations that sell rocks collection permits from U.S. National Forests. The cost of a permit is usually less than $10, but this varies from one forest to the next. You could go online for the rocks. One option is Freecycle.com. You could also visit classifieds. Going online is the best option if you are too busy to search for the rocks yourself. The rocks will be delivered to your doorsteps. You also get to choose from a lot more options.

You should, however, not go for the first pile of rocks for gardens you find. Consider such things as the color scheme to ensure the rocks you use complement, and not compete with the rest of the garden. You should be careful not to harvest rocks from protected areas since you could damage the area. Consider the type of rock, especially when parting with your money. Some rocks are not strong enough to take you through a few winters. Consider the size of the rocks for gardens. This is important because some rocks are too big that you have to invest more money for breaking the rocks. Go for rocks near where you live since this brings down transport costs. You are, also, more likely to find rocks that can withstand the local climate when you buy local.