Rockery Installation Cost

If your garden has problematic, uneven ground or is lacking in colour and visual interest, you might be considering installing a rockery.

A rockery is a natural-looking landscaping feature, typically made with natural or decorative stones, free-draining soil and low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plants such as alpines and succulents. They’re handy for disguising and making use of sloped and uneven areas of your garden, and add texture, height, and visual interest to your outside space.

The cost of installing a rockery depends on factors such as the proposed size, the type and quantity of rocks used and the kind of planting you want. Ground preparation and labour costs can also affect costs.

It’s possible to create a small garden rockery as an exterior DIY project, to keep costs down. However, if you fancy creating a sizable rockery or wish to incorporate specific design features, such as large rocks, retaining walls or trickling water, it’s best to hire a professional landscaper. A professional landscaper can also ensure you get all the elements right, including location, drainage and stone type.

Not sure what size and style of rockery you want? Let's run through what you need to know, so you can plan and budget your project.

How Much is Rockery Installation?

First off, it’s helpful to know how much it costs to install a garden rockery in the UK. The average cost of building a rockery is between £100 and £2,500. However, the average cost is dependent on the size and design of your project.

Small rockeries with a simple design and low height are generally the most budget-friendly. Large rockeries take longer to complete and require more soil, stones and plants. There is also more planning and prep work involved. Therefore, the material and labour costs are higher.

In short, these key factors will affect your costs:

• Size and height of the rockery
• Complexity of the design
• Type and size of stones or rocks
• Quantity and type of plants
• Extent of ground preparation
• Accessibility of the garden
• Labour costs per hour or day

Rockery Installation Prices

Size does affect the price of a rockery installation. On average, you’ll pay between £100 and £400 per m² for a garden rockery. Local labour rates, material prices and design factors all contribute to this variation in cost.

To help you determine how much your landscaping project will cost, here are some examples of different rockery installations:

Supply Costs

Whether you’re planning a DIY garden rockery or budgeting for a professionally installed one, it’s helpful to understand the cost of materials.

Here’s what you might need:

• Decorative rocks and stones: £10 - £250, depending on the type and quantity.
• Large boulders: £40 - £800, depending on the size and how many you use
• Gravel mulch or decorative aggregates: £25 - £50 per m², depending on the type
• Landscape fabric or weed-control membrane: £1 - £1.50 per m², depending on strength and durability of fabric
• Hardcore or coarse rubble for base: £50 - £100 per bulk bag

The price of rocks and stones does vary, depending on the size and type you go for and whether they’re locally sourced or imported from elsewhere. For instance, you can expect to pay between £0.30 and £0.60 per kg for rustic pieces of slate and Cotswold stone, while more decorative cobbles and pebbles typically cost £1 to £2 per kg.

Because of the weight of larger stones and boulders, you may need to pay for specialist delivery, which will increase your total cost. However, you may find the price for bulk orders is less per kg than it is for just a few rocks. You may also find it cheaper to use reclaimed.

Soil and Planting Costs

Alongside the basic material costs, there are also soil and planting costs to consider. This includes:

• Topsoil: £50 - £100 per bulk bag
• Compost or specialist soil: £60 - £150 per bulk bag
• Grit to improve soil drainage: £0.30 - £0.60 per kg or £6 - £12 for a small bag and £50 - £100 for a bulk bag
• Small plants, such as alpines and succulents: Mixed pack of plug plants £20 - £60
• Low-maintenance, drought-resistant plants, including perennials and evergreens: £20 - £80 for a mixed collection of garden-ready plants
• Trailing and ground-cover plants: £10 - £30 for a small mixed collection of plug plants

Bear in mind that the bigger your rockery, the more soil and plants you’ll need to fill it. Therefore, your costs will be higher. Small plug plants, bulbs and seeds are cheaper to buy than mature and potted plants, but you may need to wait a few seasons for your plants to fill out the space.

Additional Costs

Aside from the materials needed to build your rockery, there are some additional costs you may need to factor in:

Ground Excavation and Levelling

In most cases, levelling isn’t required. However, sometimes it’s necessary to create a stable base for boulders or to suit a particular landscape design. Garden levelling costs £200 to £800, depending on the size of the area.

Removing Existing Turf or Plants

If your rockery is replacing a lawn or border, you may need to factor in an extra £100 to £500 to remove turf or reposition plants.

Installing Drainage Systems

Those who live in a particularly wet area or have clay soil may need to build in additional drainage. This can cost £100 to £600, depending on the work that needs doing.

Decorative edging or borders

Decorative Edging is a great way to zone your rockery and tie the landscaping into your wider garden design. However, this typically costs £20 to £60 per metre.

Pathways around the rockery

To keep your garden accessible without walking over your plants, you might wish to create new paths around the rockery. This could cost an extra £80 to £120 per m².

Garden Waste Removal

Should you need to clear overgrowth and clutter from your garden to create space for your rockery, you might need to factor in garden waste removal cost. This is an additional £15 to £400.

Incorporating Other Features

To boost the visual appeal of your rockery, you might choose to incorporate other elements, such as a water feature , stone sculptures or lighting. Costs vary depending on what you install, but you can expect to pay around £500 for a pond or fountain and between £120 and £200 to fit decorative lighting.

Undertaking extra landscaping work in your garden will increase the cost of your project. However, it can improve the overall look and design of the area, so it’s often worth the additional spend.

Labour Costs and Timescales

One of the biggest cost factors in building a rockery is the labour. Landscape gardeners typically charge between £110 and £180 per day, depending on where in the UK you live. For instance, those in London and the South East are likely to pay more than those in areas like Birmingham and Leeds.

To help you work out the labour costs for your project, it’s worth knowing the likely timescales for installation:

• Small rockeries: 1 to 2 days
• Medium rockeries: 1 to 3 days
• Large rockeries: 3+ days

Timescales can be longer than this if:

• The rockery is large or has an intricate design
• A large number of stones need to be installed
• Significant ground preparation is required
• There are garden access issues
• Mechanical equipment is needed to position rocks or boulders

Labour costs can also rise if additional workers are needed to move large rocks or carry out other landscaping tasks.

Cost Factors for Rockery Installation

Here are the main factors that affect the cost of building a rockery:

Rockery Size and Design Complexity

When it comes to installing a rockery, the size and design are two of the biggest cost factors. The larger the rockery is, the more labour and materials it takes to build. But the design can also affect costs as the more complex it is, the more planning, preparation and labour there is.Garden designs for a customised rockery can cost £30 to £150 per m².

Type, Size and Number of Rocks Used

The bigger the rockery, the more rocks you’ll need. But the type and size you use will also affect costs. Often, rocks are priced by weight, so larger rocks cost more to buy. They also have higher delivery costs.

However, the type of rocks you use can determine a large portion of your costs. For instance, small, decorative rocks, such as rounded pebbles with attractive patterning, tend to cost more per kilogram than standard pieces of sandstone or blue slate.

Quantity and Type of Plants

As well as material costs, you need to factor in the planting costs. Again, the bigger the rockery, the more plants you’re likely to need. But the type you use can have a significant effect on your total costs.

For a small rockery, you may only need one pack of alpine plug plants. However, if you fancy creating a large, Japanese-style rock garden, you’re likely to need a larger number of plants. You may also need larger, more specialist plants, such as hostas, ornamental grasses and compact acers, which have higher costs.

Ground Conditions

Rockeries need to be well-draining and weed-free. So, ground conditions do need to be factored into your budget. There may be a lot of garden clearance to do first, or you may need to improve the ground conditions with extra drainage if you have clay-heavy soils.

Also, you need a solid base for a large, tall rocker to ensure the structure is stable. This can mean more prep and extra hardcore or rubble.

Garden Accessibility

It will take longer to build a rockery if there are access issues. This is because it will be trickier to get materials and equipment in and out of your garden. For instance, materials may need to be wheeled or carried in from the roadside, rather than being delivered straight into the garden. Therefore, your labour costs will be higher.

Equipment Hire

If you’re using large rocks or boulders in your rockery, you’ll also need to factor in the equipment required to move them into position. This may be possible with a heavy-duty trolley, but you may need to factor in the cost of hiring a mini dumper, which is typically £100 to £300.

Local Labour Rates

Some people are happy to leave the holly stump in place and work around it. Others prefer to have it removed for aesthetic as well as practical purposes. Whichever method of removal you decide on, excavation or grinding, it will add to the cost of removing a holly tree.

Regional Labour Rates

Labour rates for garden landscapers do vary across the UK. For example, if you live in London, you could pay around 25% more per hour than the national average for a landscape gardener.

Building Regulations for Rockeries

As garden rockeries are a landscaping feature, they don’t usually require Building Regulations or Planning Permission.

However, you’re best checking with your local authority if:

• You’re planning a rockery that will significantly alter the ground levels in your garden
• Garden landscaping is being done close to or on the boundary
• Your home is listed or in a Conservation Area

Types of Rockery

There are quite a few different styles of garden rockery. To help you decide which is best for your outside space, let’s run through the most popular types:

Alpine Rockery

An alpine rockery is a traditional garden rockery. It features an arrangement of small stones with small alpine plants such as campanula, sedums and saxifraga planted in between to create a natural, mountain-style garden feature. A small, simple alpine rockery costs between £120 and £250, but a larger one will cost much more.

Pros

• ✔ Cost-effective garden feature
• ✔ Possible to do as a DIY project
• ✔ Adds year-round colour and texture

Cons

• ✖ Needs well-draining soil
• ✖ Not suitable for heavily shaded gardens, as most alpine plants like full sun
• ✖ Plants can quickly outgrow small alpine rockeries

Raised Rockery

A raised rockery is built above ground level. Some simply use soil and stones to create height and structure, while others encompass a garden wall or raised bed. This type of rockery tends to be more eye-catching and is ideal for zoning spaces, but does require more materials and labour. For this reason, costs tend to range between £500 and £1,200, depending on the rockery size and type of stone used.

Pros

• ✔ Works well in compact and sloping gardens
• ✔ Great for zoning spaces
• ✔ Adds height and visual interest
• ✔ Suitable gardens with poor soils
• ✔ Improves drainage

Cons

• ✖ More labour-intensive to construct
• ✖ Unless you’re making use of an existing raised area, material costs can be high

Sloping or Terraced Rockery

This is a multilevel rockery, making it a good solution for sloped gardens. It can help to stabilise soil and create a practical planting area, enabling you to turn a problem space into an attractive and usable garden. You don’t need to level the garden first, so it can be cost-effective. However, with stone and landscaping costs, you could pay between £500 and £1,300.

Pros

• ✔ Great way to show off trailing plants
• ✔ Adds height and visual interest to gardens
• ✔ Don’t need to level the garden

Cons

• ✖ Due to the need for a stable design, it’s not recommended as a DIY project
• ✖ Material and labour costs can be high
• ✖ Sloped rockeries can become unstable if not maintained

Crevice Rockery

Crevice rockeries are natural-looking and rustic. Rather than using round stones or small boulders, a crevice rockery uses thin slabs of stone. These are bedded vertically or tilted at an angle to resemble a craggy cliff edge. The slabs are packed closely together, creating small gaps or crevices, in which alpines, perennials and trailing plants grow. Creating one will cost between £150 and £800, depending on the size and whether you do it as a DIY project or use a professional landscaper.

Pros

• ✔ Works with smaller stone slabs, reducing labour
• ✔ Attractive rockery style
• ✔ Suitable for small spaces
• ✔ Provides excellent drainage for plants

Cons

• ✖ It can be fiddly to build and maintain
• ✖ Only suitable for small, slow-growing plants

Japanese-Style Rockery

A Japanese-style rockery uses natural landscapes as its inspiration, much like a traditional rockery. However, this type of rockery has a more minimalist design and often incorporates other nature-inspired features such as trickling water and manicured mosses, as well as sculptures and raked or decorative gravel. The planting usually includes some small shrubs, ornamental grasses and ferns. It typically costs between £500 and £1,500, depending on the size and features included.

Pros

• ✔ Aesthetically pleasing
• ✔ Aesthetically pleasing
• ✔ Works well in contemporary gardens

Cons

• ✖ Manicured style requires extra pruning
• ✖ Can take up more space than conventional rockeries
• ✖ The hardscaping and water features can make it expensive to install

Modern Decorative Rockery

Modern decorative rockeries embrace a contemporary design and share some elements with Japanese rock gardens. They combine decorative stones and gravel with a minimalist planting scheme; typically, slow-growing and low-maintenance, foliage-heavy plants. This type of rockery usually costs between £400 and £1,000.

Pros

• ✔ Suits modern homes
• ✔ Low maintenance and draught-tolerant, thanks to reduced planting and weed suppression

Cons

• ✖ High cost of decorative stones and gravel
• ✖ It can be one-dimensional if there are too many grey stones and not enough plants

Boulder Rockery

A boulder rockery uses much bigger stones than a traditional rockery, creating a visually striking garden feature. With this decorative and textural type of rockery, the stones typically take centre stage over the planting. However, due to the size of the stones, labour and material costs can be quite high. So, expect to pay between £800 and £1,500 for a boulder rockery.

Pros

• ✔ Low maintenance
• ✔ Ideal for very steep gardens
• ✔ Visually striking

Cons

• ✖ Not suitable for DIY
• ✖ High material, delivery and labour costs

Alternative Garden Features

Rockeries aren’t the only option for sloping gardens and spaces in need of additional landscaping. Here are some alternative garden features to consider:

Raised Garden Beds

Raised garden beds are a low-maintenance way to grow plants. There are lots of ways to build them, including with brick, timber and stone. Like rockeries, they can be created with a natural or rustic appearance. You can grow a wider range of plants in raised beds, although this does depend on their size. However, there is generally more prep work involved, including levelling. For a medium-sized raised bed, expect to pay between £300 and £600, including labour and materials.

Gravel Gardens

Gravel gardens are another low-maintenance option. They’re ideal for homes in warmer regions, as they’re well-suited to growing drought-tolerant plants and don’t require as much watering. Gravel gardens can take a bit of effort to install, as you need a good design and you may need to condition the soil with sand and grit. You’ll also need to install a membrane to keep weeds down. That said, gravel gardens are budget-friendly, costing between £10 and £40 per m².

Garden Borders with Decorative Stones

Placing a few decorative stones in your garden border is a cheap alternative to a rockery. You can expect to pay between £20 and £40 for three or four medium-sized rocks or a small bag of decorative stones. However, if you need to create a border and add some new planting, you could be looking at costs between £20 and £80 per m².

Retaining Walls with Planting Areas

HIf you have a sloped garden, you could build planting areas into your retaining walls. Like rockeries, you can use alpines, ground cover plants and trailing plants to create visual interest. You can expect to pay between £70 and £120 per m² for a brick or stone wall, plus extra for planting.

Water Feature

A natural-looking water feature with aquatic plants is another good way to add height and interest to your garden. It’s also wildlife-friendly. A small water feature will cost £300 to £600.

Stumpery

A stumpery uses logs and old tree stumps instead of rocks to create a natural garden feature. It’s wildlife-friendly and better suited to heavily-shaded gardens. You can grow ferns and other woodland plants, and it’s cheap and easy to create, but it’s not for those who like neat, manicured garden spaces. A DIY stumpery can be done for as little as £50 to £150.

Mediterranean Gardens

If you’d like to add bigger plants and small trees to your garden, a Mediterranean-style garden might work better. You can add Cypress trees and palms to create height and add lots of ornamental grasses, scented plants and flowers for additional interest. This relaxed garden style works well with gravel paths and other cost-effective, low-maintenance features. However, using larger plants and trees means initial planting costs are high.

Hiring Contractors Checklist for Rockery Installation

Thinking of hiring a gardener or landscaper to install your rockery? Use this checklist to find a reputable contractor:

• Ask around: Have friends or family previously used a good landscape gardener?
• Choose someone local: A local contractor is more likely to be on hand to manage material deliveries and will be able to adapt better to weather conditions.
• Get at least three quotes: Comparing quotes will help you evaluate costs and services. Many people skip this step due to time constraints, but it needn’t be a hassle if you use a free quote-gathering service like MyJobQuote.
• Ask questions: Not sure whether your quote includes garden waste removal, or when your landscaper is available to start? Make sure you ask questions before hiring, so there are no nasty surprises.
• Experience: Check what experience your landscaper has. How long have they been in business, and what similar jobs have they completed? Feel free to ask for examples of other rockeries they’ve built.
• Reviews: It’s a good idea to check customer reviews on MyJobQuote and other platforms. Were they happy with the result and with the way the landscaper worked?

Removing or Replacing a Rockery

Sometimes it’s necessary to remove or replace a garden rockery. Perhaps you’re undertaking a large landscaping or garden design project or wish to relocate a rockery to a more suitable spot.

This could cost between 200 and £800, depending on:

• The size of the rockery
• How many stones does it contain, and how heavy are they
• Whether your garden has any access issues
• How much garden waste needs removing

Should you fancy updating an old rockery with new stones or planting, you could be looking at replacement costs between £50 and £500.

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