my not-so-secret love of rock gardens

The first time I moved in with a boy I was dating was waaaay back in university. One of the first things I did upon my appropriation of his abode was tidy his garden. I created a little spiral rock garden between the patio area and the lawn, to pretty the place up a bit.

It took hours of effort to design exactly where I wanted the plants and rocks to go, and by the end of it I was beaming with pride. He didn't really seem to notice all my hard work, and I can honestly say that the thing I miss most about that relationship is the rock garden.

But now I have a tiny flat with a tiny balcony all of my very own, in which I can create anything I like, and what I like is rock gardens. Oh yes. Nothing fancy pants, just a little one. You've seen my balcony, right, it's going to have to be the size of a shoebox if it's going to fit outside. But no matter, it'll be awesome anyhow.

So, my rock garden needs to:

♥ be teeny weeny

♥ house some succulents or other hardy/brave plants

♥ be super pretty

That's doable, right?

Sure - check these beauts out!

{1// hexagons} {2// tiny pot garden} {3// rectangle rockery}

{4// garden in a rock} {5// succulent turtle} {6// vertical rockery}

{7// trough rockery} {8// ornamental chalice rockery} {9// round rockery}

If only I had enough room to do something immense like this...

Do you have a rock garden?

Please tell me you guys understand the appeal of rock gardens (unlike so many people!)???