Curb Appeal: When Does a Rock Become A Boulder?

Make no mistake about it: using rocks to improve the appearance of your Arts & Crafts house is as much a part of the Arts & Crafts philosophy as pegged joints and hammered copper.

Natural materials blended into the landscape.

But making rocks look natural does require a little planning and preparation, starting with a trip to your local rock yard.

I can recall my first visit to a rock yard in Asheville. I parked my Dodge Caravan off to the side and gingerly stepped out, taking care not to get mud on my good shoes. I had just come from a meeting at the Grove Park Inn, so I was still wearing dress pants and a button-down shirt. I could tell by the pickups parked alongside the shanty next to the scales that a couple of good ol' boys were working, but no one bothered to come out and ask if they could help. After about fifteen minutes of walking around by myself, I climbed back in and drove home.

Later that day I returned, but this time I was driving Old Blue, my battered Ford F-150, had Jake my three-legged yellow lab with me, was wearing jeans, work boots and a baseball cap, with a pair of leather gloves stuck in my back pocket. Only thing I was missing was a chew and a National Rifle Association sticker over my National Public Radio decal.

And the guys were falling over themselves getting out of the shanty to come help me.

Here are a couple of more tips for you rock shoppers and DIY landscapers:

1.) Buy rocks that are native to your area. Study nearby rock outcroppings to see what kind of rocks would look natural protruding from your yard.

2.) You don't place a rock, you plant a rock. Again, study natural outcroppings and you will see that rocks don’t naturally sit on top of the ground. They gradually emerge from it, meaning that for it to look natural no less than a third of any rock you plant should be in the ground.

3.) Use rocks to hold topsoil in place on steep slopes. Rarely will one rock by itself be sufficient or look natural. Select one major rock as the focal point, but use several smaller rocks around it to both help hold the soil and to make the area look like a natural outcropping.

4.) Rocks are sold by the ton - and for good reason: they are heavy. While the guys at the yard will use a forklift to put it in your buddy's truck, you have to be able get it out and carry it to the site. Plan ahead, using anything from a two-wheel handcart to a furniture dolly on a plywood track to move your rock.

And when does a rock become a boulder?

When it takes more than two guys to carry it.

Good Luck!

- Bruce

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