Building a Rockery with Real Rocks
I'm building a rockery on the slope behind my Koi pond, leading down to the water's edge. Firstly, where are the best places to get fairly inexpensive cut rocks, and secondly, what are the best rocks to use in terms of aesthetics and that won't leech any minerals into my water that might change my parameters.
Ben Francis, Tunbridge Wells
A. Where to get fairly in expensive cut rock is a bit like asking how can you
pick up a cheap Rolls-Royce. Well, the answer might be the same in that the
cheapest way may be to buy it second hand. If you have any reclamation yards
near you then that might be the best place. I know your part of the country is
not well endowed with quarries or stone-merchants, but you may be lucky. Over
here in the west country, stone can be obtained relatively cheaply because of
the surfeit of local quarries and a huge infra-structure of transport shifting
it about. Transport and storage is what makes stone expensive. New cut or 'faced
stone' from the UK, because of the labour premium, is inordinatedly expensive,
however if you look around, you may find a local builders merchant or garden
centre importing material from
India. This it works out at a fraction of the cost despite having traveled
thousands of miles round the world. So much so that some of it is cheaper than
reconstituted stone. It tends to be sandstones of all different shades of brown,
yellow and green and so should not taint any pool environment. It can be had as
paving, small rockery stone, and building stone.
My theory is that rockeries should blend in is much as possible with the
environment and by using your most local stone, it is the easiest way to achieve
this. However, I think your local stone is flint, if I'm not mistaken, which may
not make up a very good rockery, and the sort of stone that lends itself to
flint would be a one of the limestones form up north or the west country, which
again would not be very suitable on a koi poolside because of the limey runoff.
Much of your vernacular architecture is in quite a rich brick colour that one of
the sandstones might blend well with.
There is a rich dark sandy-brown sandstone from the Forest of Dean that
leaps to mind. This comes as fairly squarish blocks in small lumps, but
bigger pieces have quite stately character. It is relatively economical
because it is easy to quarry and there are many quarries both in the Forest of
Dean and South Wales are still active.
Granites and slates are also fish friendly, but difficult to obtain straight
from the quarry. There is however a wholesale company called Border Stone that
delivers a multitude of different stone nationwide and internationally and they
even have a list in their brochure of"fishly-friendly" stone!
Telephone :01938 570375.
website: www.borderstone.co.uk.
Address: Border Stone, Buttinton Quarry, Nr Welshpool, Powys, Wales SY21 8SZ.
For stone suppliers closer to you in Kent, you may know: Rhino Rock, Addlestead Road, East Peckham, Tonbridge, Kent, TN12 5DP. Telephone: 01622 872403.
also: Pinks Hill Landscape Merchants, Wood Street Village, Guildford, Surrey, GU3 3BP. Telephone: 01483 571620