At the top of our front yard, is a rock stream that bends slightly around two fruit trees. We did a landscape project using rocks from a nearby canyon to create a border and allow us to control weeds in the flower bed. We've also used larger, round rocks in our backyard to accent flowers and a pathway that goes behind our garage and creates more usable space. It looks nice and is easy on the budget.

Here is how we used rocks in landscaping:

We dug a border 2 feet wide and about 4 - 5 inches deep to clear out grass. On both sides, we set down plastic runners about 3 - 5 inches deep to keep the grass from running too much. Then we laid down chicken wire and poured a thin coating of cement.

During the next 3 months, I decided to drive 1 mile and hike with a backpack in to our near by canyon and pull out river rocks. It was slow but it was a good workout.

I have discovered that if you're not in a rush, but you're certainly going to get the project done, then there are many pleasant ways to do projects at little or no cash out of pocket.

We filled the rock stream with plenty of different shapes and shades of rocks. It contrasts nicely with the green and purple plants such as lavender and agapanthas.

We've also used several larger rocks at the base of our three birch trees and flowering plum tree.

In our backyard, we created a path that is also 2 feet wide and ranges from 4 to 6 inches deep. I dug through old clumps of grass, ran additional pvc lines off existing sprinklers and used drip heads to run lines directly to the plant's roots.

Larger rocks are used and plants set around them as a contrast to a white vinyl fence.

Since I like the look of flagstone, we used 30 stepping stones we bought from Home Depot to set in the path. Each one is set about 9 inches apart.

Since we make it to the beach on occasion we've stopped to pick up a few rocks from the beach to add accents as well. I've found that rocks from the beach have more color than river rock.

Whether they're used in borders to control weed growth, or as accents to contrast with darker, greener plants, rocks make a nice landscaping addition to any yard.