- 1). Plan your landscape designs by drawing it out on paper. Your design is limited only by your imagination and pocketbook. Consider the size and shape of your yard; the yard size determines the size of rocks used in your landscaping.
- 2). Set your floral landscaping around your yard for a visual cue for placing rocks. Leave all the floral landscaping in the original containers until a final plan is laid out. Plant your floral landscaping once you are satisfied with your landscaping design.
- 3). Set medium paver stones through your landscaping to create a walking path. Because you have not planted your floral landscaping, you can make adjustments to it and your walking path until you are satisfied with the look of your landscaping.
- 4). Place medium stones along the edge of a flower bed instead of plastic edging for a more blended look. If possible, extend your flower bed across the front of your structure to provide balance within your landscaping. Use the medium stones that create the border of your current flower bed to create the border of your new, extended flower bed.
- 5). Dig one inch of dirt out from underneath each rock used for your walkway and flower bed edging. Place the rocks into the small hole and pack around the edges with soil. Placing the rock into the hole not only makes for a more natural look in your landscaping but also helps the rock settle into the ground faster.
- 6). Place a cardboard box or boxes approximately the same size as the boulder or boulders that you plan on making a focal point of a landscape design. Using cardboard boxes allows you to adjust the positioning of your boulders without assistance until you are satisfied with the look and balance of the landscaping.
- 7). Adjust the position of the cardboard boxes as much as necessary to find a place for the boulders that promotes balance in your landscape. Balance in landscaping is about visuals and not about having the yard match perfectly on both sides.
- 8). Dig out four to six inches of dirt underneath the cardboard boxes. Have your boulders delivered and placed into the holes. Pack the boulders in with dirt and plant grass seed or ornamental grasses to make the boulders look like a natural occurrence in your yard.
- 9). Place small stones such as lava rock or pea pebbles in and around your floral landscaping for ground cover and weed control. Gently add the rocks around your floral landscaping so you do not damage the plants.
- 10
Continue to add rocks until you are comfortable with the look of your landscaping. Different types of rocks cover different square footage. The amount of square footage is printed on the bag, or ask your supplier if buying in bulk. For example, .5 cubic feet of lava rock covers 2.8 square feet, while .5 cubic feet of pea pebbles covers six square feet with a two-inch depth. - 11
Create a rock wall with flat, medium-sized rocks. Rock walls fit best in large, multilevel yards. Lay out the bottom level of rocks to create a path layout of your wall. Dig out a one-inch trench underneath the bottom level of rocks. - 12
Pour a half-inch layer of mortar in the trench about two feet long. Place the bottom layer rocks into the mortar and then repeat the pouring and placing until you have placed the entire bottom row of rocks. - 13
Place a thick layer or mortar at the seam of the first two rocks and put another flat, medium-sized rock on top. Continue placing mortar and rocks until you reach the end of your wall. Repeat the mortar and rocks for a third layer. Use a trowel to apply a thick layer mortar along both sides of the wall. The mortar secures the rocks in a wall.
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