Creative River Rock Landscaping Ideas for Every Garden

If you want to add a beautiful and natural design element to your landscape, you can’t go wrong with river rocks. Smoothed and rounded by water over the eons, river rocks come in a variety of sizes and colors. They’re prized for their attractive appearance, durability, and versatility. Best of all, there are countless river rock landscaping ideas to explore.

Incorporate natural, low-maintenance river rocks into your yard to enhance the design of your outdoor space.

River Rock Edging Ideas

Think of your yard and garden as a canvas. Aside from filling the canvas with primary elements, like trees, grass, and flowerbeds, you also want to create space between the elements so they don’t blur together. One of the easiest, yet most effective, river rock landscaping ideas is to use them as edging or to create a defined border between different parts of your lawn.

The way to do this is simple. Place a row of your preferred river rocks along the area where you want to create a border. You can make the row as wide or narrow as you want or even stack stones for a more rustic look.

Top river rock edging ideas include:

• Border a garden
• Border a pathway
• Border your driveway
• Border your patio

Functional Beauty: River Rock for Drainage and Erosion Control

River rocks can be more than just a decorative element of your landscaping. You can also use them to improve the drainage on your property and limit erosion. Do this by putting down a dry creek bed made of river rocks on your property. This is also known as a river rock garden.

The beauty of this river rock garden idea is that the rocks slow the flow of water during heavy rain, giving the land beneath the rocks a chance to absorb the water. If you have areas on your property with a high amount of water runoff or if water tends to collect near your foundation, a river rock creek bed can be a natural and relatively easy-to-create solution.

Better yet, your river rock garden can also help limit erosion. Fast water runoff steals away your soil and erodes your land over time. A river rock creek bed will help keep your soil secure, so you won’t lose as much of it to wind and rain.

Eco-Friendly Landscaping with River Rocks

Many homeowners are looking for ways to lower their environmental impact. One option that packs a big punch is to replace some or all of your grass with river rocks. You can pair your river rocks with drought-tolerant native plants that will add color and texture to your xeriscaped lawn.

Switching from turf to river rocks will lower or even eliminate the need to water your lawn and put down herbicides and pesticides. You’ll decrease your water usage and your water bill while also keeping lawn care chemicals out of any runoff.

Other River Rock Landscaping Ideas

The uses for river rocks in your landscape are only limited by your imagination (and your budget), but here are a few of our favorite ideas.

Pathway

Create a pathway to your house or through your landscape using river rocks of any color or size. A pathway will draw the eye and help break up your landscape. It’s also a great way to invite visitors to explore your property, especially if the pathway winds through your garden.

Garden Beds

Use river rocks instead of mulch to surround and define your garden. Choose river rocks in colors that complement your plants and blooms to create a harmonious space. Like mulch, river rocks can help your soil retain water and suppress weed growth.

Water Feature

Rather than buy a water feature, create your own using river rocks. Plan and create your own water feature by installing your own plumbing, basin, water pump, tubing, and filters. You can also work with a professional landscaping company on this project.

Either way, the look and sound of water running over your river rocks will add both visually and audibly soothing elements to your little piece of heaven.

Zen Garden

Take a page from the ancient Japanese and add a peaceful refuge on your property in the form of a zen garden or karesansui (dry landscape). This minimalist garden design is meant to promote meditation, relaxation, and a sense of tranquility. You can use river rocks as a base for the garden or place them in the garden to represent islands, mountains, and other natural elements. The goal is to create a design that speaks to you and is defined by simplicity and balance.

Fire Pit

Use river rocks to create a fun and relaxing gathering place for your family, neighbors, and friends. Spread river rocks over the chosen space, then add in your fire pit, chairs, benches, and tables. The rocks will add a touch of natural beauty to the area and also help catch any sparks that might spit out from your fire pit.

Installing River Rock Edging

Love our river rock edging ideas? Even if you’re not a pro landscaper, most homeowners can create their own river rock edging. The process will take time and effort, but the results will be well worth the work.

Step 1: Source Materials

You can purchase all the prep materials and your river rocks at most large home improvement stores, local nurseries, and landscape supply companies. You may also be able to get a good deal on river rocks by searching for stone or rock quarries in your area or looking for sales from online retailers.

Step 2: Outline Edging

Begin by deciding where you want to install the edging. Use string or spray paint to outline the area. You may want to dig a shallow trench along the edging so the river rocks are mostly level with your land. If you aren’t trenching, remove all grass, weeds, and debris from the area you plan to edge.

Step 3: Prep with Weed Barrier

Next, place landscape fabric or some form of weed barrier along the area and secure the fabric using landscape staples or pins. If you plan to use smaller river rocks, you can place them right on the landscape fabric.

Step 4: Layer Rocks

If you’ve chosen larger rocks, consider adding a layer of gravel first in order to cover the fabric. When placing your river rocks, always start by putting down the smaller rocks and then placing the larger rocks on top. Arrange your stones in your desired pattern, whether that’s a single row or multiple rows. Once your stones are in place, use a rubber mallet to gently tap the stones so they settle securely. If needed, you can fill any remaining gaps with more gravel or small stones.

Unleash Your River Rock Landscaping Creativity with The Grounds Guys!

The river rock landscaping ideas we shared in this article are only the beginning of what you can do to create a one-of-a-kind lawn and garden. If you aren’t sure where to start or want a professional touch, contact us at The Grounds Guys®.

Our local The Grounds Guys teams love helping homeowners create the landscape of their dreams. If you can visualize it, chances are we can make it happen. That includes implementing your river rock garden ideas or any other design feature you want.

Our help doesn’t stop there. Once we’ve finished creating a beautiful landscape for you, we can take over your ongoing lawn and garden maintenance. Our team will show up on time, in uniform, and with a respectful attitude. That’s all part of our Neighborly Done Right Promise™.

Is it time to transform your property with river rocks? Request a free estimate today.