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Excerpt from Rock Garden Basics
Here on the Front Range, in the shadow of the Colorado Rockies, gardeners have embraced rock gardening with a fervor matched by few
other places in the world. With the inspiration of the natural mountain landscape and the singular creation of the Rock Alpine Garden at the Denver Botanic Gardens so close by, rock gardens are springing up
everywhere.
 A rock garden can be expansive or as
small as a few square feet. It uses space in complex ways with rock placement and slopes. These rocks and slopes, paired with different soil mixtures, create an infinite number of
microclimates to suit a dizzying variety of plants. Most of these plants are on the small side, although there are no hard and fast rules regarding just how small. This in turn fosters a closer
relationship among the plants, the gardener, and all those visiting the garden. And perhaps most important, rock garden plants tend to have
attractive shapes and often evergreen foliage as well, so along with the rocks, a four-season garden is created.
A rock garden needs to be approached with a great deal of patience. A garden
full of annuals, a rose garden, even a perennial border looks mature much more quickly. Like fine wine, a rock garden mellows with the years, the rocks and the plants becoming more and more harmonious.
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