Rock and succulent garden
Pebbles, boulders and plants that want to be left alone.
Size your project then pick a material on each shelf below. Your running total stays at the bottom of the screen and updates as you choose.
Bed length and width in feet. Odd shape? Add the rectangles, or enter total square feet as length with width 1.
A rock garden is 2 inches of pebbles or DG as the ground, a few boulders for weight, and agaves, aloes and succulents planted through it. It drinks almost nothing and looks finished the day it goes in. Size the bed here for the ground cover; the boulders and plants come from their own collections.
Ground cover
Polished or beach pebbles for a clean modern look, DG for a desert look.
Do not forget
How to build it
- Clear the bed, grade it, and lay fabric with the edges pinned.
- Set the boulders first, buried a third of their height so they look natural.
- Cut the fabric and plant agaves, aloes and succulents in groups of odd numbers.
- Spread 2 inches of pebbles or DG and tuck it under the plant crowns.
Questions
How much rock do I need for a rock garden?
At 2 inches, about one ton of pebbles per 100 square feet. Boulders are extra and sold by the pound or the piece.
Do succulents need fabric under the rock?
Fabric keeps weeds down and the pebbles clean, but cut generous openings; succulents rot if water pools on fabric around the crown.
Which pebbles stay cool?
Light colors. Black Mexican beach pebbles look sharp but get hot in full Central Valley sun; use them in part shade or mix with lighter stone.