How much water again?

June 10, 2007 7:49 PM

What are some good resources for a planning rock garden?

I have a very shady, six by eight foot nook formed by a corner of my house and a stone wall which which keeps the hill away from the house. It is too shady for anything else and I was thinking maybe a rock garden. What are some books or websites which will help me plan my garden?

posted by shothotbot to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

Stone In The Garden is an excellent book for rock-garden-specific info, and my go-to book for planting in inhospitable areas is Lauren Springer's The Undaunted Garden. Springer's book has several sections specifically on planting in dry shade.

Sounds like a great project, good luck with it.
posted by faineant at 12:12 AM on June 11, 2007

Also, you might check with your county horticultural extension office (Master Gardeners) for region specific suggestions on what plants will do well in your area, and in your climate and soil conditions. Extension offices offer loads of free and useful information for gardeners, and the vast majority of their services are free or low cost. Many extension offices have websites now, so it is worth searching for your county name + horticulture extension office.

Full disclosure: IAAMG, but not in your area.
posted by faineant at 12:21 AM on June 11, 2007

Response by poster: Just to clarify: we have lots of lush, sunny land to plant green stuff in and I was thinking of this spot as a rock-only garden.
posted by shothotbot at 8:52 AM on June 11, 2007

Ah, apologies - no plantings at all. You might do a search for Karesansui garden samples then - japanese 'dry landscape' gardens - I am sure there is lots of info available, and it could be inspiring if you like a zen garden feel.
posted by faineant at 10:47 AM on June 11, 2007