I have a wall of river rock. It is the wall behind the stairs from the living room leading to the second floor. Af first it was the rock adhered with epoxy to the wall. There was a coating of clear varnish to show the colors but it was too dull for the rest of the house decor. So I painted the rocks a forest green high gloss. I then went over the rocks with a paint brush almost dry except for a small amount of flat white paint on the brush. This brought out the texture of the rocks and created a wonderful mix of texture, shape and colors. People who see it for the first time love it and want to know how to recreate the look. It sounds like I had more rock to work with then you do, but the idea might stir some creative thoughts for you.

Lisa

Another idea is to have a pondless fountain. You could even have this inside your house if you wanted.

Here are a couple of ideas I've seen on HGTV and DIY.

Water Wall
http://www.diynetwork.com/videos/water-wall/42564.html
OR
Fountain over rocks; water goes into a sunken reservoir with a pump, galvanized wire grid on top of the bricks, rocks on that. Instead of the bamboo thing for water, use a fountian thuing that comes with some pumps, or something else. The rocks will get wet, without a "pond". Have grass to the edge, or modern astro-tuff, landscape fabric, or something else. http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/a-soothing-copper-fountain/index.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Fountain over rocks