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A '''rock garden''', also known as a '''rockery''' or an '''alpine garden''', is a type of [[garden]] that features extensive use of [[Rock (geology)|rock]]s or [[Rock (geology)|stone]]s, along with plants native to rocky or [[alpine climate|alpine]] environments.
Rock garden plants tend to be small, both because many of the species are naturally small, and so as not to cover up the rocks. They may be grown in troughs (containers), or in the ground. The plants will usually be types that prefer well-drained [[soil]] and less water.
The usual form of a rock garden is a pile of rocks, large and small, esthetically arranged, and with small gaps between, where the plants will be rooted. Some rock gardens incorporate [[bonsai]].
[[Image:RockGarden-NaturalStyle-19990622a.jpg|right|250px|thumb|A naturalistic rockery in England]]Some rock gardens are designed and built to look like natural [[outcrop]]s of bedrock. Stones are aligned to suggest a [[bedding plane]] and plants are often used to conceal the joints between the stones. This type of rockery was popular in Victorian times, often designed and built by professional landscape architects. The same approach is sometimes used in modern campus or commercial [[landscape architecture|landscaping]], but can also be applied in smaller private gardens.
The [[Japanese rock garden]], in the west often referred to as ''Zen garden'', is a special kind of rock garden with hardly any plants.
== See also ==
* [[Nek Chand]], creator of the Rock Garden in Chandigarh, India.
== External links ==
* [http://landscaping.about.com/cs/rockgardens1/a/land_solutions.htm FAQ on Rock Gardens]
* [http://www.thealpinegarden.com/ The Alpine Garden, Rock Gardening on the Net]
* [http://listserv.surfnet.nl/archives/alpine-l.html Alpine-L mailing list]
* [http://www.nargs.org North American Rock Garden Society homepage]
* [http://www.srgc.org.uk/ Scottish Rock Garden Club homepage]
[[Category:Gardening]]
Rock garden plants tend to be small, both because many of the species are naturally small, and so as not to cover up the rocks. They may be grown in troughs (containers), or in the ground. The plants will usually be types that prefer well-drained [[soil]] and less water.
The usual form of a rock garden is a pile of rocks, large and small, esthetically arranged, and with small gaps between, where the plants will be rooted. Some rock gardens incorporate [[bonsai]].
[[Image:RockGarden-NaturalStyle-19990622a.jpg|right|250px|thumb|A naturalistic rockery in England]]Some rock gardens are designed and built to look like natural [[outcrop]]s of bedrock. Stones are aligned to suggest a [[bedding plane]] and plants are often used to conceal the joints between the stones. This type of rockery was popular in Victorian times, often designed and built by professional landscape architects. The same approach is sometimes used in modern campus or commercial [[landscape architecture|landscaping]], but can also be applied in smaller private gardens.
The [[Japanese rock garden]], in the west often referred to as ''Zen garden'', is a special kind of rock garden with hardly any plants.
== See also ==
* [[Nek Chand]], creator of the Rock Garden in Chandigarh, India.
== External links ==
* [http://landscaping.about.com/cs/rockgardens1/a/land_solutions.htm FAQ on Rock Gardens]
* [http://www.thealpinegarden.com/ The Alpine Garden, Rock Gardening on the Net]
* [http://listserv.surfnet.nl/archives/alpine-l.html Alpine-L mailing list]
* [http://www.nargs.org North American Rock Garden Society homepage]
* [http://www.srgc.org.uk/ Scottish Rock Garden Club homepage]
[[Category:Gardening]]