A slope or grade may be the perfect place for informal stone steps, with, of course, a path leading up to them and away. Colonies of small plants look well on either side, with, perhaps, very miniature evergreens at both sides at the top. Cracks in the steps and a walk can be planted with small carpeters.
If you possess a small stream, gulch, or ravine, by all means consider a little rock garden along either side. If you’re fond of a gnarled old stump, see what a few rocks and plants might do at its foot. Where your driveway curves, try a small rock garden. Before you fill in and flatten out a small depression, or level off a small knoll, find out how it would look as a small “island” rock garden.
Corners like those formed by an old-fashioned “stoop” of a country cottage sometimes make effective frames for miniature rock gardens. But in general, informal designs usually fit best out in the grounds, away from angular architectural lines.
Raised flower bed copied from an old English garden
Designs for Level, Rockless Grounds
Here there are fewer existing, desirable locations for rock and wall gardens. But for the sake of enjoying the dainty plants, and of marking your garden with originality, you may want to create a site. It is possible to dig out a “natural” depression or build up a slope, if it’s skillfully designed—and if you can get rocks that don’t look foreign and far away from home. Or dig down a foot or two to make a formal or semiformal sunken garden, the beds raised and held in place by a dry wall with crevices to plant in, and flagstone walks.
Corners sometimes offer possibilities—a far corner, where there is a background of trees, fence, or wall; or a front corner where the lawn slopes slightly down to the sidewalk. Or there may be a place near the patio for a tiny pool in a rocky setting.
A birdbath, sundial, or shrine that’s a focal point in a small garden can sometimes be embellished with a small rock garden at the base. So can the edge or corner of a raised patio. Terrace pavements with cushions of thyme rooted in the crevices are enriched with color, fragrance, and texture. The lines of stark steps are softened and the appearance mellowed by crowded clumps of fat sempervivums. Wherever you can find reason for a rock wall, or even a row of rocks laid horizontally and only a few inches high, you can plant it with rockery plants at top, bottom, or in between. In the artificial settings of many suburban lots, semiformal walls separating two levels of lawn or supporting the edge of the family living area are very suitable substitutes for rock gardens.