How to make a rock garden

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A rock garden usually reproduces at smaller scale rocky sceneries with specific vegetation, suggesting a “mountain scene” from a specific geographical area.
 
The main purpose of rock gardens is to take advantage of the contrast between the massiveness and immobility of the rock and the vitality, shininess and color of the plants, together with the transparency and fluidity of a water course.
 
Special attention must be paid to proportions, choosing and positioning the rocks. Round shaped rocks will be placed on the bottom of the slope, and large vertical rocks always on the top. Otherwise your whole view will be blocked and proportions ruined.
 
Among rocks or over a stone sill you can create a beautiful water course.
 
Always group the rocks in irregular stages with small niches for plants, instead of just spreading them one by one over the slope surface.
 
On soft slopes burry the stones a little and lean them one against another. On steep slopes you might consider using some concrete for consolidation.
 
Lean the large rocks in counter slope so they can support the soil for plants and collect rain water.
 
Fill spaces and niches for plants with sandy soil laid on a drainage layer.
 
As for the plants, there's a large variety of plants that grow in superficial soil, as alpine forget-me-not, false cypress, snow in summer, blue fescue, dwarf deutzia, stone crop and many others.