Rocks and Stones

[R.R.]

Mother Nature is an artist

 

[claudine]

Yes, she is When I was a child, I had a whole collection of small rocks. Some of them were really lovely. I used them as furniture for my dolls.

 

[Mockingbird]

in fact I've been using rocks, stones, flints, granite and giant boulders for landscaping purposes for most of my gardening life - fortunately for me none of these materials cost anything as most of them are free where I live

Yes!! I had collected several pieces of sea glass and just kept them in a bottle till one day I had a thought of how to use them. I noticed the downspout on the gutter could use a bottom channel because it was starting to wash out the bed, so I got the sea glass and some cement and made a channel ala mosaic style. I love it makes me think of the tide coming in at the lake. I also find rocks with character , I love to find places to put them so I can enjoy them. Sometimes if the rocks are very interesting you can use a bit of oil or shellac , it makes them look wet and brings out the color.

 

[R.R.]

I was on one of my rock groups and I saw these and had to share them after asking permission. The artist's name is Roger Zimpel and he makes these three foot tables with rocks that his family collects.

I'll just leave his comment with the details just in case anyone is interested in the materials.

"You all do such nice work. This is my latest large project. It still needs grouting. Mostly petrified wood from near Dubois Wyoming. All materials in the table collected by my family. Rams Horn Peak in background."

"This is the only one I have finished. All material collected by my family from within ten miles of Norton Peak, Double Cabins Campground at Wiggens Fork in the Shoshone National Forest near Dubois Wyoming back in the 60s. Mostly petrified wood from the family collection."

Ain't this a nice project for the winter months?

 

[Cereus]

I was thinking petrified wood would be nice for a rock garden, but most of that is protected these days because people were over harvesting them from their original areas. If I recall it's now a federal offense in the US to take any petrified wood from parks/public land without express permission. The exception is if you have private property and there's petrified wood on it. An old family friend gave me a large hunk of petrified wood as a gift years ago to keep.

 

[ReadWriteLearnLove]

I was thinking petrified wood would be nice for a rock garden, but most of that is protected these days because people were over harvesting them from their original areas. If I recall it's now a federal offense in the US to take any petrified wood from parks/public land without express permission. The exception is if you have private property and there's petrified wood on it. An old family friend gave me a large hunk of petrified wood as a gift years ago to keep.

Last year we took a road-trip to California. As we drove through Arizona, we went through the Petrified Forest and I fell in love with all the petrified wood. As we exited the forest, we saw several places that were selling large pieces of the wood. I have, since, wanted to go back and buy a piece or two to use in my backyard. Now I will definitely research it before I do (if I do) to make sure I'm not breaking any laws or buying anything that should be sold.

It would be really pretty in a garden though. I love rock gardens and incorporating stones!

 

[galmal]

Confessed rockaholic here too. We've always to been lucky enough to live in places where rocks are plentiful. I would get my husband to pull over to the side of the road and pick them up. He was leery about doing that, thinking that it there must be some kind of law against it, so I actually called the local police station and asked them if I could pick rocks up off the side of the road. The officer got a good laugh about that one, and I imagine he thought I was nuts! One time we lived next to a farm that had these beautiful white and pink quartz stones which the farmer hated because he had to remove them before being able to plant. He threw them all in a ditch. I asked him if I could have them and he was happy to get rid of them (another man who thought I was nuts). I actually moved a truckload of them with us when we moved away a few years later (my husband really thought I was crazy moving rocks).

 

[R.R.]

Every time I move, my rocks come with me.