Indoor Rock Garden Ideas

Last Updated on January 11, 2023 by a Friendly Gardener

If you love indoor plants and are passionate about home decor, we are sure that the thought of having an indoor rock garden has crossed your mind. And why not? They look peaceful to the eyes and add a touch of beauty to your indoor space.

When it comes to indoor rock gardens, you can choose from as many unique looks by including different types of rocks—colorful pebbles, gravel, and stones. You can choose them according to the space size and feel that you’re looking to have.

Let’s take a look at some lovely indoor rock garden ideas. It’s time to unleash your inner creativity!

Desktop Zen Rock Garden

Zen gardens are lovely! They were originally introduced by Buddhist monks for observing, reflecting, and meditating. You can have an entire zen garden if you have the time and space for it, else we suggest you a simple yet highly effective alternative—a desktop zen rock garden.

One glance at this garden during your work break will help you practice some peace and mindfulness.

You can build a desktop zen garden by using simple garden essentials like stones, a rake, sand, and plants.

White Pebble Garden

Having a white pebble garden is budget-friendly and totally attractive. Just looking at the white color can give your garden a minimal look while making you feel at peace at the same time.

An idea for building a white pebble garden is by stuffing these pebbles in a pot and placing your succulents into it.

Cat-Friendly Indoor Rock Garden

If you have a cat, a cat-friendly indoor rock garden is the right fit for you. This garden contains cat-friendly plants, so your adorable little pet can sniff, play, and even chew on them.

To create such a garden, gather some parsley, rosemary, or other cat-friendly herbs and place them in the same pot with some attractive gravel. Tadaa! Your cat-friendly rock garden is now complete.

Indoor Zen Garden with Rocks

If you want to refresh your garden space with a touch of Japanese culture, this garden will do the trick. You can add to the tranquility by installing a cute little bamboo fountain and colorful gravel.

Decor with Large Rocks

If you have a lot of space indoors, you should experiment with large rocks as well. You can make a path by throwing these rocks around your plants, and you’re ready to go!

If you want to keep things simple, stick to white rocks. If you want to create a striking contrast, use both black and white rocks.

Small Garden by a Large Window

Large windows are stunning architectural features. And having a small garden nearby is the icing on the cake. It all adds up to a sophisticated appearance.

You can use flowering plants to add color and freshness to such a garden. Using white stones, on the other hand, would complement the colorful flowers.

Indoor Rock Garden for Office

Who said indoor gardens are only for houses? You could have them at your workplace too.

To match your work vibes and keeping in mind that you don’t have to put too much time into taking care of your garden, we suggest you use indoor rock garden plants that require a little bit of maintenance. For example, a snake plant. Go further by decorating the area by scattering rocks around it.

Rock Garden Under the Stairs

An attractive way to fill up the space under the stairs (apart from having a bookshelf, a mini closet, a pet house, etc.) is by having a rock garden. You can build a small or a big rock garden depending on the space you have under the stairs.

The only thing you need to keep in mind is to use plants that can thrive in less light, or perhaps use a grow light if there’s a need.

There are many ways to build a rock garden under the stairs and be creative.

Contrasting Color Rock Garden

For this, use a combination of contrasting colored rocks such as black and white, blue and orange, yellow and green, etc. You should preferably use non-flowering plants to balance out the overall appearance of the garden.

Designing with Asymmetrical Rocks

If you enjoy veering away from traditional methods and are willing to try new things, we recommend creating an asymmetrical rock garden. For example, to create a ripple effect, use large volcanic rocks and a few tiny pebbles.

You can also have a larger shrub on one side and balance it with three smaller shrubs on the other side. This way you have a carefree garden with balance on point.

Such gardens are best for those who love to keep a non-organized, casual look.

DIY Rock Fountain

Now, this is something for people who love creativity.

Try stacking stones or pebbles one on top of another and create a mini-fountain look. You could also host your plant in a beautiful white bowl, and surround it with pebbles, and a couple of rock fountains to create a DIY indoor rock garden.

Easy Indoor Succulent Rock Garden

Succulents are adorable, aren’t they? What if we say you can host a variety of succulents in one place and create a stunning garden spot!

An example of doing this would be arranging a variety of succulents in a large rectangular pot and throwing around some striking river rocks of different sizes and colors. You’ll be left in awe of the final result.

Closed Terrarium Rock Garden

If you have plants that are humid lovers, try a DIY closed terrarium rock garden. Some good choices of rocks would be pea gravel, small river rocks, colored aquarium gravel, or smooth moon pebbles. You can also use tiny gravels as top dressings for your terrarium.

Indoor Rock Garden with Water Feature

If you are not just craving a beautiful look, but also the peaceful sound of flowing water, trust us, this type of garden works best. To build this type of rock garden, you’ll need tools such as beach stones, a pump, and a planter base.

We hope you have a lot of ideas for making a beautiful indoor rock garden by now, so go ahead and create one to brighten up your space.