The rockery has strong associations for gardeners — and they’re often rather negative. They feel dated and can look uncomfortable in a town, city or suburb, always a bit alien and rarely as if they’re a naturally occurring part of the site’s outlying strata. They are likely to be one of the first elements ripped out as part of a redesign, the rocks themselves smashed into hardcore or taken off site.
Are we missing a trick, though? Natural stone and rock have much to offer. They are tactile, beautiful, connect us with the geology of our earth and their presence gives a garden a sense of permanence and weight. And when it’s wet, their colours come out — I’d take them over man-made materials any
