Depending on what your plan is for river rocks, you might need to do some of the following to prepare your area for river rocks: • Remove grass, weeds, or debris: You want to start with a blank canvas before installing river rocks.  • Level the space: You need a nice flat surface to get started. You may need to buy some soil to fill in those low spots.  • Lay landscape fabric: This depends on where you plan to place your river rocks. Laying landscape fabric for a river rock pathway is a great idea, but landscape fabric in the garden bed might make for more work down the road. • Place the rocks: Let your vision of your river rock creation come to fruition, and enjoy your new space. Sprinkle the rocks into their new home and use a garden rake to spread them around.