Stone can also create a sense of place and regionalism within a landscape. Some may think that the very permanence from which rock gets its solid reputation can also make it a dull garden guest. The colors that permeate from a focal stone as light and shadow patterns wash over it can give subtle life to this inanimate mass. A gentle rain shower can coax the pink out of Tennessee marble, and a dusting of snow may create sparkle atop a basalt boulder. The actual physical placement of stones in a garden can have philosophical meaning.
Asian cultures place spiritual emphasis on how a rock is displayed.
The Chinese technique often involves utilizing unique stones as outdoor sculptures or exclamation points in the garden. The Japanese attitude, however, is to situate rocks in a totally natural fashion. The concepts of implied landscape and borrowed senery are also evident in the Oriental style of garden design. If a stream isn't practical in a particular landscape, the same effect can be attained by using a dry river bed composed of river slicks and boulders. Digging away some soil and burying a stone up to its widest point of girth will give it a much more natural appearance.