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The most important thing to put under a rock garden is the appropriate soil. The specific soil needed will depend on the type of plants you’re growing as well as the environment you live in. You can also put non-woven or woven fabric under the rocks to add to the garden's structural stability.

Yes, it is possible to add too little mulch. Anything less than 1 inch will likely result in too little coverage around your plants, allowing weeds to grow through and minimizing the positive effects that a deeper bed of mulch would have, like maintaining proper soil moisture and insulating the ground.

Yes, weeds can still grow in decomposed granite. If properly compacted, it can act as a good weed suppressant, meaning you’ll only pull weeds occasionally. But no ground cover is completely weed-proof. To further prevent weeds, you can try spraying your decomposed granite with distilled white vinegar.

Unless it only rains once in a blue moon where you live, you’re going to want water-loving plants in your garden bed or pot. A few ideas for plants that aren’t super fast-growing (meaning they’re good in pots or near foundations) and can handle a lot of standing water include: 

• Acorus (Sweet flag)

• Colocasia esculenta (Taro or elephant ear): In many climates, these are annuals, making them less desirable because you need to adjust the chain again after each replant.

• Equisetum scirpoides (Dwarf horsetail rush): non-dwarf varieties of horsetail are fast growers and can take over quickly.

• Juncus effusus (Curly rush)

• Osmunda regalis (Royal fern): Royal fern can grow quickly but can also handle being crowded, making them good container plants.