Modeled after the high terrain, the mountains and forests of the higher elevations, the alpine rock garden isn’t well suited to every climate, but you can make a rock garden in nearly every climate simply by suiting the plants that you house among the rock to the climate in which you live.

To build an easy care and easy installation rock garden, decide what grows well in your area and get busy.

Step One: Take out any vegetation in the immediate area that you don’t want to make part of the garden.

Step Two: If the soil in your area of choice is fairly heavy you will want to mix it with some good drainage soil such as compost, loam, building sand, or a mixture of the three. You may also want to add some small gravel to the mixture. We’ve built these in four states. The northern states which tend toward a hardwood type forest will need some mixture, while the Arizona type soils may also need an infusion of a heavier soil since it already has the sand and loamy type soil there.

Step Three: find a rocky area that has some stone already in it. If you don’t have one available to you, then we’ll create one as we go. Look around for rocks that are set into the ground. They need not be deeply set. In fact, for our purposes its better if they aren’t. Use those rocks in the area to begin and add to them.

Otherwise, begin building your own small rocky area. Select some stone that is native to your area to give the whole thing a more natural look. Sandstone, Gneiss, Granite, Limestone, even quartz, are good choices. Some areas have some amazing colored stones in quartz and sandstone that are a wonderful find.

Arrange your rocks in close clusters. It’s usually smart to set them in odd numbered groups. Use the same kind of stone, or all natural stones of a few different kinds to get the natural look that you want for your rock garden.

Any sunny or partially sunny area is good if you’re working with plants that require sun. Keep in mind what kind of plants that you want to work with to be sure that your garden is in the right area for them

Step Four: Plant your rocks into the soil just as if you were planting plants. If you just drop them on top of the ground they don’t look at all natural and they are hard to plant in and around. They roll over your plants, and they aren’t stable for a garden or yard. Bury them about a third of their body into the ground. You can go as much as half way underground if the rocks are larger. Pat them down with the soil mixture. Make sure that you leave some room in between them to plant the plants and flowers that you want. Slant your rocks so that they tip inward toward the soil, not the other way. This helps to prevent the loss of your soil in the rain.

If you are working on a slope, leave more stone in place, if the areas are flat; leave it more open so that you have room for more plants. If your rock garden is a combination of the two, then make sure that you use plenty of rocks to prevent the soil from eroding and the plants from being washed out.

Step Five: Begin to add plants and small shrubs or trees, depending on the size of your rock garden. The rock garden can range in size from very small to very large, taking up half of your yard if you so desire. Choose the plants that will fit naturally into your area, and select native plants if you can to complement the natural area and bring in wildlife to your garden if you desire.

Small plants can be tucked into many nooks and crannies. One trick you might try is to plant a few rocks together and fill the gaps between them with soil. You can tuck in a few flower or grass seeds later to grow from between the gaps and your artistry will take on the look of a boulder that has been shattered by frost or some other natural happenstance.