photos needed - rockery and limestone mountains

[cohan]

Mark, the most common local interpretation of a "rock garden" is a mound of soil with random rocks cast about on it (sometimes even painted various colours!) and planted with petunias...   Really.

Along the same lines (but involving not-inconsiderable expenditure!), there is a front yard "tufa garden" nearby that is quite an amazing sight.  If I can get up the nerve, I'll take and post a photo of it.    

i had to laugh at this--especially the 'painted various colours' i think i have seen that, but mercifully blocked any specific memory..i do have clearly in mind a couple of places-one in toronto, one in the town where i work now, with small front yards with rocks instead of lawn, nothing naturalistic, and not mounded, but more interesting than lawn! in both cases, petunias, unfortunately, are the planting of choice   why not portulaca, delosperma, mesembryanthemums, gazanias etc etc? all just as available as petunias....

as for mark's idea of black plastic and shrubs--not surprising in itself, but interesting its called a rockery;

in the countryside here, most common would be a similar mound of soil and stone as lori describes, but overgrown with grass and weeds    currently digging out one of those i built in my teen years, though mine had more stones, and was planted with sempervivum and natives (a few of which survived a couple decades of neglect after i left home)!

[mark smyth]

Lori that would do me. I need a photo by Thursday

[mark smyth]

You will never guess what I saw today  I was out with a  friend going to local garden centres to advise her on small bulbs. On they way home she stopped at her ministers house. He had just had a rockery made and I was brought to see it. It consists of woven plastic on the soil, small shrubs through holes, bark and granite rocks. I didnt have my camera with me. I'm going back on Friday.

[ashley]

A prayer answered Mark

[Michael J Campbell]

Mark,probably made by someone just out of horticultural college,and with a lot of certificates to prove it.

[mark smyth]

or a handyman from the church

[cohan]

You will never guess what I saw today  I was out with a  friend going to local garden centres to advise her on small bulbs. On they way home she stopped at her ministers house. He had just had a rockery made and I was brought to see it. It consists of woven plastic on the soil, small shrubs through holes, bark and granite rocks. I didnt have my camera with me. I'm going back on Friday.

i'm quite curious to see the pictures..all sounds quite foreign

[mark smyth]

very stupid looking to a gardeners eye. The garden is about 2 miles 3km away. Maybe I should go for a speed walk but it's all up hill

[cohan]

now stupid looking plantings--thats not foreign at all...lol i'm constantly shaking my head at the things people do--not so much when its a matter of taste, because my taste is irrelevant in someone else's garden, just the poor uses of various plants...

[mark smyth]

An ordinary persons rockery

Looking left and right

[Michael J Campbell]

Beautiful Mark, I love the planting, and the stones match nicely.   Do you know if that design is exclusive to the person who did the job.?

[mark smyth]

Yes it's his design and trade mark of using two different stones - granite and basalt

[ashley]

An ordinary persons rockery

Ordinary or not, it's more rock garden than I have

[mark smyth]

Ashley you don't need a big area to create a rockery. Look at these three in my garden

[ashley]

Very nice Mark, and I really like how the lichen is beginning to establish too  
Yes I'll start experimenting with some sink gardens in sunnier areas. 
Thanks for the inspiration.