Landscaping companies get all manner of requests from homeowners and corporate clients regarding gardening, lawn services and landscaping. Over the recent years, there has been increasing requests for rock beds as more people seek to add aesthetic value to their homes. The first rock gardens have been traced to China and Japan, but back then, the emphasis was more on strange looking rocks than the plants in the garden. However, today, many homeowners are trying to bring the nice alpine touch and feel to their gardens.
Occasionally, the lawn service companies will get the question “why should I hire you?” To a few homeowners, making a rock bed is as easy as buying rocks and laying them in a pattern in the garden.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
If it is done right, a rock bed will increase the value of your home tremendously. It also adds character to your garden, and makes the garden and lawn look like something that just popped out of a home improvement magazine.
Rocks live a long time and it is the same longevity that a rock bed projects when professionally laid in your garden. They add a rock solid accent that lasts a long time requiring minimal maintenance over time. Consider also that there are so many types of rocks by size, color and style to choose from. Homeowners are literary spoilt for choice. Landscaping companies know what is needed for what part of your garden.
Why laying a rock bed is not necessarily best for a DIY-er
It can be very confusing to know where to establish your rock garden. Firstly, you want to lay the rock bed where it can be seen like near the patio, in the flower bed, along the garden path and so on. There is no need of having an excellent array of rocks that no one will ever see.
Landscaping with rock requires some ingenuity since rock is a very visible component in the garden. Thus, there has to be a balance between rock and plants. Too much rock and all the envisioned aesthetics go down the gutter. Too little rock and the greenery of the plants in the garden overpower everything. The aesthetic result will be awesome, bringing out a Da Vinci effect that could not have been pulled off by any other strategy.
Landscape maintenance companies know how much rock should be used. At Tender Care, we have a team of skilled and experienced rock bed experts who will map out the areas that will have the best aesthetic impact if they host the rock bed. They will also take the required measurements to know the amount of rock they will need for the project.
Preparing the bed for the rock landscape is very important because it determines the aesthetic value that you will get from the rock patch. With pea gravel, you have to dig a few inches into the ground, and then pour in the rock until it settles into a good layer. If you lay down too little rock, it will be covered with silt over time, and then it will disappear. If you are using boulders, you will have to bury it in about a quarter of its height so that the soil can hold it in firmly. Also, if water runs in your garden during the rains, you want the rocks to be left intact.
Landscaping companies that offer grass cutting services will most probably offer rock bed services. This is a component of the many landscaping packages that they offer and therefore you do not have to hire a second contractor. However, if you should feel doubtful about it, ask to see a portfolio of similar projects that they have handled in the past.
Landscape maintenance services know how to prevent weeds in the rock bed
Weed prevention in the rock bed is one of the things that the landscaping professionals consider first when they visit the site. If you are not in a hurry to have the rock bed installed, they could recommend a few things. Covering the area with a plastic sheet for several weeks exterminates weeds, but other methods can be used. All weeds should be exterminated before they bloom so that no seeds are left in the soil. It can be unsightly to have weeds sprouting through your medium grade or large rock.
Another way to prevent weeds from sprouting is to lay old newspapers to create a barrier between the rocks and the soil. That way, light, which is a requirement for germination, is blocked from reaching the seeds.
When you need to rock your garden with a rock bed, you should contract a professional team to do the job for you because there are many factors to consider. Landscaping companies know the best rocks, where to get them and the patterns to lay in your garden.
