3 Ways to Use Stack Rock in Your Vegas Landscaping
Rocks come in various sizes, shapes and colors whether you dig them out of your own yard or bring them from a source. Naturally occurring rocks in your yard are usually a nuisance and obstruct your Vegas landscaping plans. If they are properly placed and stacked, however, they can change your yard into a magical place by adding texture and visual interest.
Rocks have to be placed properly. You don’t just plop a rock in your garden. You need to anchor it the same way nature does to make sure it doesn’t change position. This also provides a stable base for rock stacking. Here are three ways professional rock stacking can upgrade your front or backyard.
Rock Features for Vegas Landscaping
Stacking rocks is a skill. The rocks have to be solidly in place without mortar, and this requires knowing how to combine softer rocks with harder ones and using the shape to create stability.
Some garden features include rock retaining walls, fire pits, and water features to showcase pure beauty.
Rock retaining walls are usually between one to two feet high and use similar size rocks. They not only define a space for plants, but they also hold back soil so the growing area can be raised. This is an especially useful and attractive way to deal with a yard that slopes slightly. It will increase planting space and deter erosion.
Fire pits are a wonderful feature of a backyard that invites you to sit outdoors even when the weather is cooler. Stacking rocks to create a fire pit requires knowledge of the right kind of rocks that won’t absorb too much water. This prevents them from expanding and allows them to withstand high levels of heat.
Landscapers will dig a shallow pit according to the size you want for your fire pit. They will fill the bottom of the pit with the right kind of stones that resist heat. Then the stacking starts to raise the edge to the height you want and even make the top flat, so you can set small plates and glasses on it.
If you have the space, landscapers can stack rocks to function as end tables near outdoor furniture.
You can create a magnificent artistic feature in your front yard if you have a chance to get two or three large boulders. Landscapers can stack the rocks to create an art installation in your front or backyard. Called feature boulders, they have interesting or unusual shapes and are displayed like sculptures.
Water Features in Las Vegas
Water features are a category all their own. They can be a natural rock waterfall, a modern contemporary waterfall, a small or large fountain and a pond. Unless you have a natural stream that runs through your backyard, you will need a pump and electric outlet to keep the water flowing.
Professional Vegas landscaping provides everything you need to have bubbling rocks, a small waterfall, a pond, or a fountain that will add a cool and refreshing water feature to your garden. For a pond surrounded by stacked rocks, the landscaper Las Vegas will provide pond liners and your choice of rocks for the bottom. Included in the overall design will be ferns, small shrubs and perennials strategically place as a final touch.
The size and shape of the landscaping Las Vegas surrounding rocks will vary. The color and shapes need not match but should complement each other. This blend gives visual appeal. The location is also important. The landscaper will point out your best options for placing a water feature in your backyard. The position may depend on access to electricity for the pump or the flat or hilly terrain of the yard. The only loss of water is from evaporation and replacing it is about the equivalent of two toilet flushes per week.
Create a Terrace or Berm
A berm is like a shelf or level space that is often raised above a river or pond. In Vegas landscaping, a berm provides a terrace or raised flower bed to add interest to a flat back or front yard. Berms are also useful in a hilly yard to prevent erosion. Large rocks are usually stacked artistically to create visual appeal and provide areas for planting flowers.
All rock stacking requires specific techniques and materials that keep the rocks in place so they don’t shift, but it is especially important for berms because they have an environmental function also. They are holding back tons of soil along with any trees or shrubs planted there. This stability is for maintaining safety as well as visual appeal.
It may sound funny to plant a rock, but this is exactly what nature does. Except for the rolling rocks in Death Valley National Park, most rocks are held in place by soil. For the Las Vegas landscape, large rocks and boulders are set in pre-dug holes with about a third of the rock underground. Then, the soil is filled in around it, so it won’t roll or slid if it rains.
If rocks need to be interlocking for strength, they can be cut to fit together without mortar. This is one of the main reasons stacked rocks look like natural rock formations and not outdoor hardscapes such as barbecues and pathways.
The Benefits of Rock Stacking in Vegas Landscaping
Rocks supply year-round structure to your garden even if plants fail. Rocks will withstand strong winds, intense sun and long droughts. When the harsh weather passes, you will still have the original structure to your garden and can replant.
Rocks used in landscapes Las Vegas are very low maintenance. They can replace high-maintenance areas such as lawns and reduce water consumption especially if the added plants require very little water such as different varieties of cacti and succulents.
Stacked rocks will make your yard feel larger than trees or flower beds will. A beautiful rock feature emphasizes the space rather than filling it with overgrown leaves and branches. It will make a small yard feel larger.
When you have big boulders artistically stacked to look natural, you can include several other types of rocks in various sizes from large stones, large or small pebbles and gravel that add diversity to your yard.
Maintaining a traditional garden by regular watering, mowing, pruning and replanting starts to lose its appeal because, in today’s busy world, these gardens take a lot of time and effort. With rocks of all shapes and sizes, you can create an attractive and appealing garden that is low maintenance as well as long-lasting.