It is best to get whatever rocks look natural in your area. If your area has natural areas of grey rocks, then use that. The best rocks are those that don't detract from the look of the garden (I'd avoid supertufa rocks, or rocks brought from far away) and are neutral in PH. Try to get a few good sized rocks instead of a lot of small ones. And make sure to bury at least half the rock to make cool growing spaces for plant roots and also to improve the final appearance of the rocks in the area. Check out the link below for placement. RJ

Here is a link that might be useful: Rock Garden Intro

ljama98: I am lucky that I can up in the mountains for my rocks, however this did pose the problem of so many to chose. I got myself all worked up, looking high and low, here and there. If you are not as fortunate as I in having a unending supply, my suggestion would be this. If you see any rocks that look roughly the size and shape, grab it ! Most will nedd a slight cleanning with a bristle brush and water. When you get them home you will see that they all have a great character of their own. Also when doing projects that require quite a few rocks, like a small wall, wait until you think you have enough, then go get a few more. Put them all in a pile and then begin to stack using whatever rocks you pick up next. (unless it sacrifices the stability of the project) I have looked at my rock projects when finished and am very rarely happy with the exact placement that I had in mind when begining, but when I look at them a few times I realise that all rocks are natural, they are all different unless taken from the exact location, and they all blend beautifully together. Since I have changed my methods of rock retrieval, by just grabbing them and bringing them home, then I put them in their place.
One other thing, I generally think that the bigger the better. It can be an awfull lot of work. I have hand picked over 13 000 lbs by my estimation, for walkways and borders. I hope to get some pics up soon. All in all I think that rocks are a great addition to any landscape design.

Hope my 2cents help

Glenn

I agree that the basis of a hand made rock formation should be the local, natural look. But I have also gone around in an old granite quarry and brought up some smaller, very beautiful chunks of solid white granite (from Maine, where I grew up) and brought them back down to Maryland with me. I lined the inside of a planter with them, and they looked very decorative. I think they would look nice though, as a small eye-catching addition to any rock formations that I built here using the natural rocks as the basis. Dont be afraid to add a little bit of character ~ in the end it will make it that much more personalized and special to you!

When I first started my rock garden, I was going around to different rockery companies and suppliers and I was shocked at the prices. I knew I needed a lot and I wanted some sizable ones (4-5 man). I ended up finding a quarry near Mt Rainier that had what I wanted for around $17.00 a ton. I had a customer deliver 60,000 lbs and then I went back with my horse trailer and handpicked 5,000 lbs more of specific size and shape to finish around my pond. At a quarry, you have a captive audience and don't have to scour the countryside :-)

Glenik has some excellent advice. We can also gather un unlimited amount of 'neat rocks'. I've also learned not to be as fussy as I once was. I used to spend hours looking for the 'right' shape...lichen coating...etc. At the end of the day, however, the more random the better and the more natural looking the finished project.

Also agreed, bigger is better. More vertical height is given. Avoid a ring of small rocks around a pond or along a walkway. Larger rocks pushed together also provide more planting space in between.

I'm so glad there are other scavengers out there like me. My parents use to gather from parks that we visited. Well when the redid our sewer/water lines down the street... I had my 3 kids out there just picking up whatever from the sand/dirt piles... That was 4 years ago... Now the kids can't wait for spring to come so we can go on our "Rock Hunt's".... we go to wherever... parks, countryside and pick up whatever we see. I don't think I'll ever be finished with my "Rock Collection". I've always just picked up whatever the wagon could hold.

It amazes me that people spend so much money on ROCKS... but glad that they do... leaves me more to hunt for.

"What should I look for in rocks?"

DIAMONDS!!!!

:)