Rockwork

I love working with stone because it brings such fabulous energy to the garden.  Plants and stones are perfectly complementary materials—each one enhances the other.  Stone directs and holds energy with its strength and permanence, and adds color, texture, and depth to your garden.

Stones are as individual as plants—full of personality and alive, but in a different sort of way--and make excellent focal points in your yard.  You can own an enduring and timeless piece of natural history.

Individual rock placement—adding rocks to your landscape

Which rocks are you drawn to?  They can complement or contrast with your home color or style--sharper stones to repeat the theme of steep gables, rounder, lighter stones to brighten, highlight, or contrast.  They can naturalize your yard and help replicate the surrounding environment.

Paths, Patios, Steps, and Retaining Walls

I especially like pathways and patios of stone.  They are tidy, enduring surfaces and become a work of art, to be enjoyed from many angles and in different light and weather.  For the most part I do not set stones in mortar but in sand, which I like for the flexibility it provides with shifting ground—and resetting stones takes minutes. 

I love to do flagstone patios—cracks that inevitably appear are natural and one can easily plant between the seams to help naturalize the area.

Retaining walls made of stone look natural and are enduring. The weight of the stone holds them in place and they easily assimilate into the landscape, looking like they have been there forever.

I recommend browsing through the beautiful stones available at American Soil Products in Richmond (www.AmericanSoil.com) and at Acapulco Rock and Soil (3251 Jacuzzi St., Richmond 510 526-3800) to get a sense of the range of options available to you.

Medea@YourWorldInBloom.com
Call Medea Pluim
+510-755-7218