More rocks – because you can never have enough

My friend Kyle has been a major inspiration, and the #1 lesson I’ve learned from his garden is this: You can never have enough rocks. I’ve added tons (literally) of rocks to my front and backyard, and yet there’s always need (and room) for more.

My go-to source for rocks is Dixon Landscape Materials, an easy 15-minute drive on the freeway. The material I’ve been getting for the last few years is called rustic red boulder. At the moment, the rock yard is a bit low:

Rustic red boulders at Dixon Landscape Materials

But there was enough to fill the trunk of our minivan. I try not to haul more than 500 pounds at a time, seeing how it’s an old car. This is a little over 400 pounds:

400 pounds of rustic red boulder on a cart

The real surprise was in the basket right next to the rustic red boulders:

Onyx from Arizona

They just received a shipment of this onyx from Arizona:

I love the look of it but I wasn’t sure if it would work in my garden, so I got three pieces to try out:

Here’s a rustic red boulder (front) and three pieces of onyx. I think they complement each other well:

I’ve started to use the rocks from my latest haul in two spots: one in the front and one in the back. Check back in a few days to see photos.

© Gerhard Bock, 2026. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.