You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
What is a soul to do when you move to a place that is lacking in natural resources for your creative endeavors? You go out and find what you need to accomplish your goals.
Hard, cold and uninteresting. Is this what comes to mind when I say the word, "rock"? Not many of us are petrologists. I am not. The fact that I am not a scientist does not take away from my study of rocks, even if my studies are for my personal knowledge and serve no purpose other that to please myself. My studies are not so much, academic, as they are emotional. Emotional? Yes, admittedly, I have formed an emotional attachment to rocks.
I do not see a flower bed in my country gardens without rocks. The rocks ‘ground' the flowers. They give the feel of durability to a bed filled with fleeting blooms. Stone and plants compliment each other, as is the case with statues placed in gardens. The hard, cold stone is warmed and softened by the graceful blooms and gay foliage of the plants around the base of the statue.
There are many types of rock. Limestone, Sandstone, Soapstone, Travertine, Marble, Slate, and Granite. That is the short list. My favorite rock is formed on the Cumberland Plateau in the state of Tennessee. It is called Crab Orchard stone, although, it can be found all over the plateau, not just in Crab Orchard. Read more about the history of Crab Orchard stone here.
We have used stone for centuries. The pyramids were built using large stones. Castles, walls, fences, fountains, pathways, bridges and many other structures have been made from stone. Stone statues in cemeteries stand watch like sentries over those who have gone before.
Sculptors find beauty in stone that no one else can see. I have felt a great deal of envy when I see their creations. The ability to chip away at a huge stone and find the masterpiece hidden inside is a talent given only a few in history. Just a few that come to mind are; Hiram Powers, Giovanni Bernini, and Michelangelo Buonarroti.
The Apostle Peter statue in garden and an Angel statue in a cemetery.
Top photo's courtesy of, Kevin Rosseel at MorgueFile
The two photo's taken in the
gardens, show how plants
soften the look and feel
of the stone.
Garden Statue courtesy of, julesinky at MorgueFile
Many castles, built with stone centuries ago, are still standing.
Castle and bridge photo courtesy of, mommycat at MorgueFile
Nunney Castle, Somersetshire courtesy of, jusben at MorgueFile
Back to the hard, cold, uninteresting rock. As children, we stepped on them and had invisible bruises, we skipped them across the pond and stacked them up to use in our sling-shots. As adults, many cursed them in the fields that had to be planted for food and profit.
Children and adults alike, while sitting on a rock, have dropped their tired feet into the cool waters of streams all over the world.
Water & Rock
Water rolling over rocks softens their appearance.
Tennessee mountain stream photograph courtesy of, 'click' at MorgueFiles
I had not given much thought to rocks until I moved back to Florida. In the area I moved to, there were no rocks. No rocks? None that I could find, none on the roadsides, none in the pastures, none in any trench or hole I dug in my yard. None. I found myself wondering what I would use to border the walkways and flowerbeds. How would I build a wall to section off garden rooms? I was perplexed. I could not buy rocks that are shipped in on trucks from out of state. The prices are exorbitant. I also could not make several trips north to collect enough rocks for all the projects I had lined up.
Just one of my TN rocks.
Each time I went on a road trip to visit family and friends, I brought home a rock or two. I picked them up along the roadsides, at gas stations when I filled up the tank and on friends' property while visiting. The call went out and every time I have a visitor from out of state, they bring a rock. Not a bottle of wine to have with dinner or pie for desert, but a rock. It can be large or small. One, or a few. Whatever they can fit in their vehicle, comes to my place. I am always grateful and promptly place them at the pond, along a pathway or around a flowerbed.
I now have rocks in my formally rock-less yard from TN, AL, GA, TX, OK, NM, AR, KY, NC and MO. Sometimes I sit in the shade of an oak tree beside the pond and admire my rocks. They have been as hard for me to acquire as they were for the old time farmers to clear from their fields. We each had our battle, they to be rid of them and me to collect them.
Petrified wood from TX
If memory serves, this rock is also from TX
I believe rock borders add substance to the area they are placed in. They bring a certain quiet strength. If they are meant to contain plants, the plants lend themselves to soften the hard edges of the stone. Together, they are perfect. Complete opposites, I would like to think in a world on the edge of the rim of reality, the two would be ‘friends'.
I think too, if my Florida flowers could speak, would they ask, "Rock, where did you come from?" and would the rocks speak back and tell their tales of travel across the country to this little spot in the sand-hills of Florida.
My ‘collection' is far from complete, I need several tons of rock to accomplish all I desire to do here. One rock at a time, brought by one friend at a time, I will get there. Now, if you happen to find yourself passing through, toss a rock my way and I am sure the flowers will whisper, "Thank you."
Rocks from TN, AR, MO and AL
Rocks from various states surround an oaktree/flowerbed filled with tropical flowers.
Thumbnail photograph courtesy of KevinRosseel at MorgueFile.
All photographs not cited above are my own.
About Jacqueline Cross
I'm a native Floridian...feet planted in the shifting sands of northwest FL. but my heart strings are tightly knotted to the hills of Tennessee.
I live my poodle, Minnie Pearl, Zsa Zsa the cat who runs the whole show and a new addition, Kitty Belle.
I'm a writer, gardener, quilter, cross stitcher, soapmaker and nature lover. Mother to 3 wonderful daughters & Nana to 6 perfect grandchildren.
I also write for Suite101 and was promoted to Feature Writer in the vegetable gardens section in 2008.
Posted by wandygirl (from Brookfield, CT) on July 16, 2008 at 2:38 PM:
We have no shortage of rocks here. When the glaciers receded they left rocks of all sizes, from huge boulders to pebbles. Stone walls made by farmers served the dual purpose of marking the boundaries of their property and providing a place to deposit all the rocks they removed from their fields. Building stone walls from the material I find around my yard is a relaxing passtime. It's like putting a puzzle together. You only have to mash a finger or a toe once before you appreciate the usefullness of a sturdy pair of gloves and steel toed boots. My one great fustration is that I haven't yet been able to design a contraption that will make lifting the heavier rocks safe and easy, but doesn't cost a fortune. Any ideas, fellow rock lovers?
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 16, 2008 at 10:36 PM:
wandygirl
It sounds like you, dare I say it, might have too many rocks... :0
I remember reading in the Readers Digest book, Back To Basics, several ways to move and lift rocks. Being in the Back to Basics book, they should be easy designs, using what you have around the place.
Jackie
...
Posted by wandygirl (from Brookfield, CT) on August 12, 2008 at 8:41 PM:
My husband would agree with you about the "too many rocks" part! I will check out the RD book. Thanks! Kathy
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on August 12, 2008 at 10:15 PM:
:-)
...
Subject: We collect rocks from trips too!
Posted by Calif_Sue (from San Jose, CA) on July 14, 2008 at 2:54 PM:
Wish I could post more than one photo here.
We starting collecting rocks for the garden back in 1997-98 when we were building new beds and a pond. We have a small residential lot so it didn't take too much but we did several trips around local creeks etc. to get a good start. Even now, as we travel around either in our Yukon or Jeep Wrangler to various back country roads here in California, Nevada or Canada, we try to pick up a few random interesting ones. Some are so interesting with wonderful stripes of different colors such as the one in the foreground here.
Thanks for the fun article!
...
Posted by Calif_Sue (from San Jose, CA) on July 14, 2008 at 2:56 PM:
hey, I guess as the original thread maker, I can post more!
...
Posted by Calif_Sue (from San Jose, CA) on July 14, 2008 at 3:03 PM:
Last June showing some of the rock edging.
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 14, 2008 at 3:47 PM:
Sue,
I love your rocks. They look like they've been there forever and that makes having them even better.
Most of mine still don't have the look of belonging.
BTW...I've seen your gardens in the photos you've uploaded here at DG...just beautiful! I think I may have even used a photo or two in my articles. If not, I wanted to ;-)
Jackie
...
Posted by Calif_Sue (from San Jose, CA) on July 14, 2008 at 3:53 PM:
Thanks Jackie, the 'imported' rocks sure make it interesting. I found that they really start looking like they belonged once plants started filling in and spilling over them. We started out collecting the more blue gray ones but lately I have been more drawn to the warmer colors like ones we found in Nevada and they seem to be mixing in nicely.
...
Subject: rocks
Posted by thewoodlands (from Middleboro, MA) on July 14, 2008 at 12:13 PM:
I know that rocks are wonderful for bordering things, but here in the "frozen tundra" north, we use rocks in our gardens to absorb the heat from the sun in early spring, and hasten the warming of our dormant plants.
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 14, 2008 at 12:42 PM:
Ah, yes. Rocks do hold the heat, so much so that I have to be careful that they are not too close to certain plants down here in this southern heat. It can cause the tender new growth to burn and die back. Thanks for sharing that :-)
...
Subject: Year of the Rock
Posted by HollyAnnS (from Dover, PA) on July 10, 2008 at 10:54 PM:
This is our year of the rock. Huge great boulders moved from the neighbors by heavy equipment piled up in the back yard. Waiting for the someday pond.
Trips and trips to the near by creek and a few not so nearby creeks. Red-stone stacking up in the front yard. Large and small, flat and square, round and smooth, some for the new stone wall now in progress. Some for the stone walkway just recently finished, some as an accent around a new water feature. Any small hole dug here in our Pennsylvania yard produces buckets or wheelbarrows full of Red-stone Rocks. A short trip up the road to my friends house will produce just as many Limestone Rocks. As I post pictures of our projects I hear the cry from my DG friends, "Send us your rocks".
Thank you for your wonderful article, It put so many of my thoughts and feelings into words. Holly
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 10, 2008 at 11:18 PM:
Oh Holly!
I am so jealous, I can't stand it.
An endless supply of rock for all your projects..lucky you.
Jackie
...
Posted by HollyAnnS (from Dover, PA) on July 11, 2008 at 9:07 PM:
I do love my rocks,
Last year I spent a couple of weeks at my FIL house in NewPort Richie, Fl. I did quite a bit of gardening, big clean up job, stump removal, installed a new flag pole. Wow it sure is easy to dig down there. The jobs I was doing in his yard would have taken a digging iron maybe a few power tools and day's longer to do them. But then you kind of look around and realize that there really aren't any rocks and wonder what do they do without them?
I'll be back down to Fl. this fall I can pack a few for you.
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 11, 2008 at 9:49 PM:
Holly,
That's a nice thing you did for your FIL. You're right, it is easy to dig in this sand down here. That is a plus.
I'd love a PA rock or two but you will be heading down I-95, which is about 3 1/2-4 hours from me or I-75 which is about 2 1/2-3 hours away.
That's a long way to go for rocks, as bad as I'd like to have 'em.
Just think of me when you are building your rock walls, pathways etc. :-)
Jackie
...
Posted by HollyAnnS (from Dover, PA) on July 11, 2008 at 10:16 PM:
This year he is coming up and since we spent two weeks working on house and yard last year he's pretty good. Although I love gardening in Fl. What I have in small pots are beautiful huge trees down there. I do so love the Tropical Plants.
This year will be vacation time on the East Coast in New Syruma (sp). If that's any closer just D-mail me.
Again, Very much enjoyed the article. Holly
...
Subject: A Soulmate!!!
Posted by dahlianut (from Calgary, AB) on July 10, 2008 at 11:01 AM:
What a wonderful article. I have a passion for rocks in the garden too. It seems every drive outside the city involves "Stop!!! Rocks!!" I bring them back from everywhere I travel too. What an incredible garden you have with all the memories associated with your rocks. If I'm ever down your way I'll bring you some rocks from the Canadian Rockies to add. Thanks for sharing this article.
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 10, 2008 at 11:27 AM:
I'm finding alot of folks like their rocks, not everyone curses them for being where they don't want them.
My gardens are pitiful but my rocks are always the same. :-)
Now, a rock from the Canadian Rockies would be fabulous! Come on down. :-)
...
Posted by KaperC (from No. San Diego Co., CA) on July 10, 2008 at 12:12 PM:
Here, here...bring your rocks here! We love rocks. We need rocks. Everyone here seems to love rocks. So much so that people charge you to take away the rocks they DON'T want! And we pay to have them hauled. We plant natives here, and the native plant nursery recommends rock mulch and sometimes a rock with every plant. Did I mention we LOVE rocks?
...
Posted by Katlian (from Carson City, NV) on July 10, 2008 at 12:16 PM:
I must also confess a compulsion to collect rocks for my garden. Nevada has an abundance of rocks of all different types and colors. I have rocks from all over Nevada and California, even a piece of limestone from Utah with seashells in it. I even got my fiance in rock collecting (it wasn't difficult) and we go on geology field trips sponsored by the local university. They encourage people to take home samples of the rocks.
If you're ever passing through Nevada, you'll have plenty of rocks to choose from.
...
Posted by dahlianut (from Calgary, AB) on July 10, 2008 at 1:05 PM:
LOL kaperC. Are you too far from the mountains to make a rock hunting trip? or is it all park? My best rock finds have been in National Parks sigh so I could only drool.
...
Posted by KaperC (from No. San Diego Co., CA) on July 10, 2008 at 1:10 PM:
We have rocks on the hills all around us, but you never know if you're on private property. Don't even think about picking up anything in a park here! We have a neighbor that works in construction, and if he finds any big ones on property they are clearing, he will haul them for us - but we do have to pay him. We once got a cheap trailer load from a nursery going out of business, and we watch the local give-away lists. Can't ever have enough, though! Wouldn't you know we'd buy over an acre of land with no rocks!!
...
Posted by dahlianut (from Calgary, AB) on July 10, 2008 at 1:15 PM:
good point about private property although I've rang doorbells before to ask for particular rocks LOL
...
Posted by soapwort243 (from South Milwaukee, WI) on July 10, 2008 at 4:37 PM:
I'm another soulmate with rocks in my head. I love them and always bring them back from vacations. ;)
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 10, 2008 at 7:05 PM:
You know..it's nice to hear that I'm not alone in my addiction. LOL
I don't think I'll make it to NV but you can bet it I do, I'll bring rocks back with me. :-)
...
Posted by sallyg (from Anne Arundel Co., MD) on July 10, 2008 at 10:38 PM:
me too-I have rocks in my yard but most are not very attractive. (Ironstone concretions, my neighbor enlightened me) I collect other rocks on trips. Found cool ones in Bristol TN, sort of triangular and black. Mica in rocks in our streams in central MD. I love rocky streams like what I grew up playing in.
Old bricks are sometimes a fix when you can't find a rock.
Nice pictures.
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 10, 2008 at 10:50 PM:
Thanks Sally.
I like the rocks that have been in moving water too. They are always so smooth. But then, I liek the ones that aren't smooth, too..hehe
Jackie
...
Posted by sallyg (from Anne Arundel Co., MD) on July 10, 2008 at 10:56 PM:
Don't ever have construction done at your house, They will dump a ton of rock for foundation work and then you'll be spending too much time sorting through the river rock for all the perfect unbroken round or oval ones. How would I know this?..........
I have thought about drawing little eyes nose and mouth on them all and making them little heads.
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 10, 2008 at 11:16 PM:
How cute that would be..lol
Do you ever paint them and put them in the flower beds? Little messages or kids/grankids names or whatever.
...
Posted by Aunt_A (from Tulsa, OK) on July 10, 2008 at 11:44 PM:
Love 'em!
My mom threw away my rock collection when I was little; I told her that she destroyed my purpose in life! LOL...
But I still love (and collect) rocks. My great Aunt (that I never knew I had until she died) lived in Colorado in the mountains. She was a lonely miner and a rock collector...only thing is, she collected better rocks than I.
Let me go to the Arkansas Diamond Mine...I love to bring home Jasper Rocks and lots of other rocks...!
Great article.
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 10, 2008 at 11:53 PM:
Aunt_A,
Thanks for stopping in and reading it.
Bad Mommy! hehe
Too bad you weren't able to know your great Aunt. It would have been exciting to go up to her place.
Yep, some good rocks to be had in Arkansas ;-)
Jackie
...
Posted by KaperC (from No. San Diego Co., CA) on July 11, 2008 at 12:18 AM:
My uncle was a prospector in his spare time. Wonder if the love of rocks is in the blood? LOL
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 11, 2008 at 12:25 AM:
Sounds like it may be.
...
Posted by Fitsy (from Hayesville, NC) on July 14, 2008 at 12:40 PM:
Count me in! I am keenly interested in rocks, too.
I fetch them home, and put them around plants to keep
off but also for my enjoyment.
Fitsy
...
Posted by Fitsy (from Hayesville, NC) on July 14, 2008 at 12:41 PM:
Forget to say that I keenly enjoyed your article!
Fitsy
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 14, 2008 at 12:43 PM:
Thank you Fitsy. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :-)
...
Posted by sallyg (from Anne Arundel Co., MD) on July 15, 2008 at 5:55 PM:
My neighbor saves heart shaped rocks. You wouldn't believe how many she's accumulated/ been given. But I could hardly find one yesterday LOL
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 15, 2008 at 6:50 PM:
LOL
My mom has a heart shaped rock that came from Arkansas 20 yrs ago or more.
I have one that resembles a heart but it is a bit lopsided.
...
Posted by dahlianut (from Calgary, AB) on July 15, 2008 at 10:55 PM:
I made a circular bed once using only perfectly round large quartz rocks in Yellowknife NT. I called them 'dinosaur eggs' even though they weren't egg shaped. There is lots of quartz there with VG (visable gold) in it. Way too expensive too move although I wish I had even one those egg rocks. I collect rocks that look boring and then change to a cool colour when they're wet. I have a couple of grey that change to purple.
...
Posted by sallyg (from Anne Arundel Co., MD) on July 16, 2008 at 1:29 AM:
wonder if some varnish or baby oil would give it a more lasting wet look. I have boring ones here that show streaks etc when wet.
...
Posted by dahlianut (from Calgary, AB) on July 16, 2008 at 10:57 PM:
That's a good thought sallyg. I think varnish or lacquer would maybe work better than oil. I can just picture a thousand bugs sticking to the oil here but then I guess it would look lichenish LOL. I like lichens on rocks.
...
Posted by Katlian (from Carson City, NV) on July 17, 2008 at 12:12 AM:
I was just out collecting rocks today, I mean working, and found a beautiful piece of andesite (red volcanic rock) with little spheres of white quartz in it. It's quite unusual so of course I had to bring it home!
Jackie, I don't know how you survive in Florida with no rocks. Though, sometimes when I'm pitching a tent, I sorely wish for a nice patch of flat sand instead of mountains of rocks.
Sally, varnish has a yellowish color and chips easily, and epoxy (the stuff that those shiny river rocks in the garden center are coated in) is a pain the you-know-what to work with. I think a nice glossy polyurethane will give you the wet look without the toxic fumes or discoloring. There are also wet-look sealers for stone tile in the flooring section of the big home improvement stores that might work on your rocks.
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 17, 2008 at 3:59 AM:
Katlian,
I would have brought that one home too, it sounds pretty and like it needed a new home. :-)
Ah, you know, I make do...visualize back of my hand to my forehead and a giant sigh....LOL
I remember going camping in Arkansas on the rocky mountain top. I haven't thought of that in years!
Jackie
...
Subject: what an interesting article
Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on July 10, 2008 at 5:39 AM:
What a wonderful collection you have; I'm quite fond of rocks myself. If you're ever near Naples, come and choose one from my yard!
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 10, 2008 at 8:25 AM:
Thank you. Gotta love a DG'er that will share their rocks. :-)
...
Posted by ooojen (from Lewiston, MN) on July 10, 2008 at 11:04 AM:
Wonderful article!
We're among those with rocks to pick out of soybean, corn, wheat and alfalfa fields. All the really "good ones" come up to the house and yard area, at least when I'm in on the picking!
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 10, 2008 at 11:31 AM:
Thank you, ooojen.
I would love to have access to that many rocks. :-)
The planting would take longer because I'd be in the way, picking the rocks out to take to the house. lol
...
Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on July 11, 2008 at 12:45 AM:
Sweet, as always.
I collect rocks, too...Maybe the next time you are in Tennessee you can zip on up to my corner of KY. I'll share.
...
Posted by quiltygirl (from Wildomar, CA) on July 15, 2008 at 10:05 AM:
When we built a house in the San Diego area, we had to have 22 Semi trucks take the boulders away and still there were literally tons of rocks & boulders left to build walls and one the size of a VW Bug as a focal point outside the dining room. Alas, now we live on flat sandy (easy to dig) property and I get excited when we dig up a football sized rock! I always want to stop and pick up rocks in front of other houses, but DD stops me from "stealing" other peoples rocks! But, at least for us, there are rocky areas not too far away - I just need to go there without her!!
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 15, 2008 at 10:23 AM:
Wow, 22 trucks filled with rock, that is alot of rock. Your DD is right but she is no fun when if comes to rock hunting! LOL
