It can be small and inexpensive, or large and elaborate with a price tag to match.
"I would say that there is really no minimum or maximum of pricing," says Laddie Flock, owner of Natural Rock Formations, a company that has been in business for 17 years and has experience in all different styles and themes of rock gardens. Natural Rock Formations is one of the largest distributors of natural stone products on the Pacific coast and has been featured in many publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal to Landscape and Irrigation magazine. Their website can be found at www.natrok.com.
Smaller rock gardens will obviously be less expensive, with larger ones costing more money, but there are also other elements to take into consideration. The type of rocks and plants you use will vary in price, and if you add in other features such as water or lighting, these will be reflected in your costs as well.
Your rock garden can be as simple or as elaborate as you like, and size will also be dictated by the amount of room you have available. The smaller the yard, the smaller your rock garden will be unless of course you decide to relandscape your entire yard into a rock garden. It comes right down to a matter of personal choice, and the funds you have available for this project. Flock says, "You could put down one stone and horn it out to hold water and then all of sudden you have a birdbath. It is something that butterflies will come around and you could plant a couple of plants behind it and you have a romantic rock garden."
When planning your rock garden, think about what you want it to say. Do you want it to be a place where animals feel welcome? Will you be using it as a place to feed them? Do you want it to be a place where you can go to unwind and just feel at peace? Is it to be a private place for just you and your family, or do you want to be able to use it for entertaining a few friends also? Maybe you are looking for something large and more formal that can be used as a backdrop for special occasions?
Flock says, " It is about perception, so I don't think there is any minimum in a garden. I don't want to discourage anyone from an economical standpoint, not to have the feeling of a rock garden can evoke." On the other hand, you don't want to spend so much on it that whenever you are in it, the money spent is all you think about!
Flock's company has worked on rock gardens with a large variety of costs. Flock says, "The most expensive residential garden is one that was in the $500,000 to $750,000 range. That is pricing for rocks, plants, and drainage and irrigation systems. The garden that I have on my five acres is valued at 1.4 million."
