Maintaining And Keeping Rock Landscaping Advice
Owning a rock garden can be a great addition to your garden or yard. They can work well with almost any landscape, due to their versatility in size, shape, and placement options.
However, you need to keep your rock garden well maintained to keep the look fresh and avoid buildup. Is this a new project for you altogether?
Here are five top tips to keeping rock landscape in shape and looking sharp:
Using the right tools
You want to make sure the tools you use for your landscape are the right tools. For example, a rake- or even better- a leaf blower, to keep debris from building up and inviting pests. Owning both of these means you can clean out your landscape with ease and save a lot of time.
You want to be careful when using the rake, as pulling or pushing too hard can move or damage some of the smaller rocks in the landscape. take your time to pick and move the debris so the main feature is undisturbed.
The same rule applies for the leaf blower: slow and steady! You don’t want to blow the smaller rocks away, upsetting the aesthetic of the feature. Remove some of the smaller attractions, don’t get to close, and make sure you have the blower on a low setting. Debris can fly around as it becomes airborne, so eye protection is recommended.
Weeding
We recommend you address the weeds in your yard several times through the year. Depending on the weather, some weeds are quick to grow so you may have to keep on top of them.
We do not recommend the use of any chemicals in or around your rock garden. They can stain or cause damage to the rock landscape.
This is a risk that you can avoid by simply manually weeding the landscape through the year. Keeping on top of this task will resolve any weed issues and prevent them from spreading.
The best tool for weeding your rock garden is simply your hands, as gardening instruments can disrupt the layout.
Foundation Fabrics
It’s a good idea, before you create your rock landscape, to lay a foundation fabric like linen or polyester. This covers the soil and helps prevent any growth of weeds or any other unwanted pests for your landscape.
However over time, the fabric may fall apart or show through some of the rocks, so maintaining the fabric is necessary.
The main benefit foundation fabric offers is how much easier it makes cleaning the rocks themselves.
Cleaning
Over time, moss or weeds can grow on the rocks and make them less attractive, although weeds are far less likely when foundation fabric is present. A good routine for keeping rock landscaping clean is simply rinsing them off with a hose and nozzle. Choose a setting that gives enough pressure to clean the rocks without displacing them.
If they are excessively dirty, you may want to get down on your knees and give them a good scrub with a kitchen brush. Again- no soaps or chemicals that could cause damage!
If you are experiencing excessive humidity, you may want to gently go over your rock bed with the leaf blower, so help remove excessive moisture. This way, you reduce the risk of encouraging mold and mildew.
Green Grounds Landscaping in Minnesota can help keeping rock landscaping and also help you with your new project, no matter where you live in Minnetonka, Eden prairie, Edina, Delano, St. Louis park, Minneapolis, St. Paul State of Minnesota.
Visit Minnesota Landscaping Services to see what we have to offer.
Sinking
Over time, the larger rocks in your garden may start to sink into the ground. This can be fixed and prevented by applying gravel underneath the larger rocks.
If the main foundation is soft soil or grass, it’s a good idea to use linen or polyester sheets under the gravel to add more support.
Proper foundation fabric offers the same benefit. This extra layer helps the gravel take the weight of the larger rocks and prevents any sinking.
About Green Grounds Landscaping
We are a full service, licensed and insured, landscape company providing excellent lawn care and landscape service for residential & commercial properties in Minnetonka, Eden prairie, Edina, Delano, St. Louis park, Minneapolis, St. Paul State of Minesota licensed and certified for applications of pesticides and fertilizers.
