How To Choose The Best Garden Rocks

A variety of mental health experts regularly declare that gardening is a special hobby. Gardening is considered to be a special hobby in that gardening encourages people to spend necessary time outdoors. In general, gardening also helps boost people's moods and provides them with feelings of overall calmness in a somewhat chaotic and ever-changing world. To these points, as psychologist Seth J. Gillihan, Ph.D., experientially explored for Psychology Today, certain positive takeaways emanate from gardening. A handful of mental benefits that the psychologist identified include practicing acceptance, moving past a desire for perfection, cultivating a growth mindset, connecting with other people, and connecting with the natural world. As a related fun fact, April 14 is National Gardening Day.

In a practical sense, gardening can provide both visual appeal and add additional economic value to a person's home. Accordingly, a gardener might find that the process of gardening includes many steps. But, starting small with intentional choices for garden rocks can play a small but important role in making the green space beautiful. As Garden Design explored, adding rocks to one's garden can contribute both depth and dimension to a space that could otherwise appear bland or flat. 

Garden rocks can help define a slope in a person's garden. These rocks may also stand in lieu of a lawn altogether or contribute pretty materials in a space where few items of greenery will actually grow. Rock gardens can be intricate and large-scale endeavors, reflecting creative and spatial complexity. Rock gardens can also reflect crisp, simple spaces dotted with well-selected stones. 

To choose one's garden rocks, the gardener should plan ahead, as Garden Design explained. Tips for planning a rock garden include carefully choosing and assessing the site where the garden will be placed. Further, a gardener should research garden rocks to ensure that her vision comes to life properly. Garden Design recommends that gardeners also physically sketch out a design for the garden, similar to the concept of storyboarding for film and tv. Gardens should also consider visual concepts, including proportion and scale, and select a specific style or color when making their rock selections. 

The final tip? Gardeners should help sustain a natural appearance. This is because part of the appeal of rock gardens is the intentional mirroring of natural settings in which the rocks would be found. Humans can scarcely rival what Mother Nature yields, but rock gardens can present an opportunity to try in good faith. Choosing a natural layout and garden rocks that look natural and are cohesive with the overall garden plan will support the visual flow of the space (via Garden Design).