Rock Your World

     Stone cold, set in stone, stone faced, hard as a rock, rock solid, carved in stone.  These are all phrases that describe a certain attitude that withstands the elements.  Solid, enduring, timeless.  When we garden, we usually focus on plant material, such as trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals.  But a strong statement can be made with permanent elements like stone. 

Stone can be used as steps, leading you up and into your garden.  A stone walkway can guide you to a favorite plant or particular area of the garden.  A well placed stone can be the perfect place to sit and enjoy the view. 

 It can even serve as ‘home’ for a game of hide-and-seek.   Stone can act as a support, define a boarder or mark a resting place of a favorite pet.  In the winter when the leaves are gone and the ground is bare, a stone can give a new dimension to the garden. 

     Plants die for various reasons..too much water, not enough water, too much sun, not enough sun, age, not established, wrong plant, wrong place.  The list goes on.  I’m certainly not encouraging replacing plants with stone, but every garden should have at least one.

     My parents have a home in Florida and my Dad often complained about a shrub near the front of the house that visitors saw every time they came to visit.  For some reason nothing would grow there and it had been replaced several times.  Then he got a stone, a black stone.  He was so proud of that stone.  He would tell us how it never needed to be pruned or fertilized.  It made it through the hottest parts of the summer, never wilting back.  If there was a late spring frost warning, he never worried about it getting nipped by the frost.  If someone hit it with their car door, well, they were more careful next time.

     So become a rock-star and find a stone and set it in your garden.  I guarantee it won’t be your last.