Rocks and boulders add to the naturalism of a garden. From a small rock on the edge of a path to large boulders used for a waterfall they all help make a garden beautiful.
Many beautiful lichens and mosses grow on rocks. In the summer you can bring them to life by spraying them with water.
The top photo was taken before water was sprayed on it. The second photo was taken 1 minute after spraying with water.
To look natural rocks should be placed so they are buried in the soil not just laying on top of the soil.
That means that more than half of the rock needs to be buried in the soil. So you need to use a much larger rock than you thought. These rocks look like 400-500 pound rocks but are actually near 1000 pounds each.
Sometimes rocks alone can make a beautiful garden.
Here are a few photos of a garden in Japan that is made of just rocks and sand. It is over 500 years old. It is called Ryoanji.
This rock garden is a small part of a larger garden with ponds, Cherry trees, Azaleas, Rhododendrons and ferns. The rock garden is 75′ long, 30′ wide and is surrounded by a 10′ wall. It only has 15 rocks with moss, no other plants.
Usually a plant can’t occupy the same place as a rock. But look at this plant (California Coffeeberry) that is growing in a crack in a rock.