This was all done with cuttings of other plants around the house, I've been working on the Rock Pile you could say. Well you could.

Greg

Very Impressive--love the color combination!

Great work, Greg!
Rocks? What rocks? ;-)

Josh

Looking good, Greg! Love the rocks -- they do add to the look.

Lookin' good!

That looks really nice...great job!

Your wife is right. Great rocks, and the plants aren't bad either. I am jealous of your time in the garden. I spent 8 hours today putting black glaze on a intricate buffet. I would have rather been playing with rocks creating garden geology.

I love gardening with rocks large and small. I love doing them in my pots also. Every time I go down to the river, I get a backpack full of rocks. It is a long walk up that steep cut bank. I also leave a 5'8" tall carefully balanced cairn to dare that river into a flash flood. I need to put up another one. The river claimed my last one this spring.

Excellent job, Greg! What a nice array of succulents! Only wish we could do something like that up here in zone 6! It sure makes it easier being in zone 9, doesn't it?

Christopher

Stunning, Greg!

Thank you everyone for the kind words, its always nice to get compliments on something you're passionate about and this I love doing more than a little bit.

Josh, let me just say my garden is starting to ROCK! 0r maybe that's bcuz I'm from southern Cali lol...

Notolover, thank you, colors I do love the more the merrier.

Paul, thanks for commenting, I can spend days doing this and when people notice and comment It's nice, even though we don't like to admit it sometimes but its always a nice reward.

Tom termine, thanks a lot sure is a nice way to unwind ones mind.

Wantanmara, one thing I've learn is my wife is always right even when I am lol... That's one of my best learned assets.
I enjoy doing this as much as you and many of us here thanks again.

Kaktuschris, thanks a lot :)

/

Whew!... I'm back I didn't mean to slip away and at least acknowledge everyone that stopped to make a comment here but I'm at work today and I had to run really quick.

So where did I leave off at O yeah -

German star, Thank you, thank you Lil Star :)

123Greta, Stunning sums it up very well and I can say the same thing about some of your displays also.

I added one more picture just to show off some of my plastic containers that I painted with the opps paint from H/D the Aloe in the teal green container was turned from black to this just to spruce up the look a little and added some pepples too what do you think???

Greg
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You guys out west have great beaches for rocks , especially for those of you in washington and Oregon and I am sure BC us just the same. I have not been to any Californian beaches. My bag is always loaded down to the max with rocks on my way home. Anytime I drive out for a weekend, I bring home rocks, My car is a mess , a dangerous mess. From New Mexico, I had pads of opuntia in paper bags and rocks from BMI lands.

wantonamara, That's exactly where my rocks came from, The beach, Dana Point beach in Calif. They told me take as much as you can and since there all over the place I said OK! This is the results of free rock and fortunately I love the beach so I kill two birds with one trip, I mean stone lol...

Greg

I even stole rock off the submarine base in San Diego. I was with a Naval Captain visiting from Maryland. It was shaped like a very sharp pyramid with a streak of gold in it ( in my mind). They let me on the plane with it , even though one Could easily crack a skull with it. The lady looked at it and said "That looks like a weapon for sure, but it is not on the list and you look like a gardener type just like my mom. She is always bringing back rocks." That won't happen anymore. I check them through now.

I have eroded bricks from the concentration camp my father-in-law was in in Estonia during the war. I have some rocks with stories. They are special. I even have a memory rock that my son would press to my husbands head when he wanted a story from his childhood. A friend of his stole the rock and gave it back three years later. The things that wander around in my yard are like rolling thoughts that only mean things to the people in the know. They become like a family's symbolic totems lying in the dust and verdure.

Note**** Do Xericscapes have verdure?

yikes m I am digressing . Sorry, Late at night and a long day..

FABULOUS garden you've created with your sux & rocks, Greg!! Cudos! And thanks for sharing with us!

I was going to ask where you got your rocks & pebbles. I found the answer as I read through (whew) to the end! I have gotten a few rocks from our beach, but found out after the fact they frown on that, as the beach here erodes too quickly as it is! I would need a wagon or truck to haul as many as I would like anyway! :P

Mara, neat stories...and I have to thank you for my LSNFTD (learn something new for the day) item..."verdure" (not sure it's used much to describe succulent/xeriscape gardens)...as well as last week's "farrago", both words I've never heard spoken or seen written. Learning all the time!!

Greg, I have an almost empty slate in my front yard now (redo here in the near future). Want to come down & help (supervise?)...anything??? :D

Judging from the pictures here and from Issdr and other gardens, Coastal California gardeners create verdure with succulents and cactus.

Looking very lush, Greg. I'm sure your neighbors appreciate the verdurous rainbow you've created. Rock on! Thanks for the vocab, Mara.

Ro, there's a bit of a farrago happening in my beds as well.

Pretty

Rhamel

AHH.. Verdurous farrago, my favorite style of gardening. A new chic design principle to be studied and documented here on Gardenweb.

Hee hee...you guys/gals are in good form today!! Definitely...Verdurous farrago studied, applied, viewed, strived for...etcetera!!

Thank you Greg for cheering me up. Hope all is well with you and family. Nice that spring has sprong.
Stush

Rosemarie, Thanks for the compliment, and of course I would love to help you out in the garden.
They told me I could have as many rocks as my heart desires, I was right next to the Metro link station by Dana Point and the Life guards told me to take as many as I want, So I help myself to a lot as you can see and I'm about ready to go back for more.

hanzrobo,, Thanks, Yeah some of my neighbors really do appreciate the garden and tell me I'm pretty brave to put all them nice plants outside, so far so good tho.

Stush, you know how we do it my friend, when were having fun and enjoying ourselves in the garden time flies right by and we just keep dreaming and dreaming :)

You guys are all funny with this Verdurus, Farrago business Lol...

Rosemarie Let me know girl we can have your whole slate full of rocks in No time at all :)

Greg

hijole 9, you're area looks so neat. I LOVE rocks and designs with them. You're rock garden looks great. Inspired me with thinkin' how to design an area for some new additions.

Aztcqn, thanks for the comment and by all means plz use the ideas, that's how I get my ideas too from looking all around at other peoples gardens and then I bring it home to try it out and I usually Like it then I usually get all the credit for it bcuz after all I usually laid it all out.

Funny thing is is that I change my landscaping every so often like moving furniture around lol... So go for it , by the way what zone or area are you from?

Greg

Here's a little aztec look for the garden some pottery with some tail to go with it, enjoy your day.

Greg

Greg, wantonamara and others:

I love the idea of collecting my own stones for my little potted cacti and succulents!

What shapes, sizes, characteristics do you look for, and where?

Lee

Qsis / SIS, well I've gone a few times to collect rock / pepples and I did pick up lil grainy pepples that I use for top dressing and then some other larger sizes in mixed colors, Like dark charcoal and lighter shades I'll just call blonde, and then just depending on the type and color of the plants I just use um for top dressing. It gives it a very interesting look and adds a lot of character to my landscape.

I've picked up most of um in Dana Point since they're just everywhere and all over and the life guards tell me evrry time, " take as many as you want!"

Greg

You're sweet to offer to help, Greg, and I know you would ~but it's a bit far. BUT...if I ever make it up to the beach at Dana Point, I'll be sure to load up my trunk with rocks/pebbles to bring back!! :D

Okay, Greg, so you particularly favor the smooth, rounded stones from the beach?

Just what I needed to hear! Love it!

Thanks!

Lee