Oooh.

[Elena Zimmerman]

I just realized that I am an owner of a rock garden. The following clues led me to it:

I have a pea gravel pad surrounding part of the house with morning sun and afternoon shade.
I planted a few native cactuses I brought from the old home on it last fall, and they seem to be still alive, though not thriving
Mom brought a bunch of succulents (5 different ones) and some mysterious tiny iris-like thinggie, plus I have snowcrop and some cushion blue-bells
I have a dwarf pine (mound type) growing in the front yard around a transformer booth.

So, all I have to do to turn it into a 'dry riverbed' themed rock garden is to scrape away the pea-gravel, put down a couple of wheelbarrows of alpine lean soil, plant my alpine wannabes, take a cutting of the pine, and collect a few nice river-rocks over the summer.

Talk about things coming together.

I am going to post a few photos if it works out.

[Eeyore]

OOooh indeed! Don't you love surprises? Looking forward to photos.

[conniepr]

I ended up with a similar Oooh this past week, as well. Sedgewick Alberta ended up with a major windstorm and I lost 4 trees in my yard, including a huge pine tree that hit the corner of my neighbour's house. After the tree was removed, there was a stump about 1.5 feet high, leaning at a 45d angle, roots and dirt facing my back deck. My husband said, rather than removing the stump, plant something in it. Wow! I should take a picture and show you the result! I now have a new flower bed, flowing and green and mysterious looking. I transplanted a pagoda dogwood shoot into it, bleeding hearts, sea thrift, astlbe's, daisys, ligularias. I love it!

[B_BQ]

So, all I have to do to turn it into a 'dry riverbed' themed rock garden

Exciting indeed!

I believe Scrapinthehat has a similar bed, and posted a picture of it some time ago. It's very nice and could give you a couple of ideas!

~BBQ

[Eeyore]

Connie, I'd love to see that new bed of yours.

[conniepr]

Awww, the pics don't do it justice

From the other side.

. And as you can see, I haven't removed all the roots yet. The pagoda dogwood is a branch that rooted where it was laying on the ground. It appears to have survived the transplant. It will create a beautiful visual break between our neighbours and our back deck once it grows into a tree.

Pine Tree Stump turned into new flower bed!

[Eeyore]

It should fill in nicely!

[Smitty]

that's cool!!!! gonna be beautiful when it matures

[Elena Zimmerman]

Really neat!

Okay, I am committed to taking camera to the garden and making snap-shots now. It actually turned out much nicer than I expected.

[Elena Zimmerman]

All right, the rockgarden!

The humble beginning in June...


Slightly less humble now:


And a close up on my dear gentian and opuntia...