I think these rocks are (usually?) limestone? I can't recall where I read it, but I think it said that limestone quarries - where what they're really after is really solid limestone without the holes & irregular shapes - sometimes find pieces like you describe - and either treat them as junk, or if they're into crushing limestone - just crush them.

Maybe if you can find any limestone quarries in your area, it may lead you to something?

Apparently the original source is Lake Tai, near Suzhou. Chemicals in the lake cause the limestone to erode in striking and complex patterns. The orignal rocks are all mined out, but new stones are seeded by being dropped into the lake and then harvested many years later. There are also a couple of other lakes in China that produce similar stones, but they are still known as "Lake Tai stone."

Googling "Tai lake limestone" yield several useful-looking links, including an article from UW.

- Evelyn

(PS. As you probably know, Chinese and Japanese gardens are very different in theme and tone, and the same complexity and interest that make a Lake Tai stone prized for a Chinese garden would probably make it too distracting for a Japanese garden.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Lake Tai limestone article

Mark,

A rock I had in mind in my earlier post is called Texas Holey Rock. A google search will bring up several web sites about it.
Click here for one of them

I've always felt that tufa rock used in Alpine gardening was the closest equivalent to the Tai Hu stone of China.... edzard

Basically, they all - Tai Hu, Holey rock and Tufa rock - appear to be forms of limestone. I think hunks of coral from a Coral reef might serve much the same purpose, though exploiting live coral reefs seems to be politically incorrect these days.

There's a web site about tufa rock here - (click).

There is a Chinese art gallery in Chicago that sells these rocks. I can't remember the name of the gallery, but maybe you can find one near you that sells them, or can procure them. Otherwise, go to any quarry along the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario (possibly New York and Michigan as well) and you can find similar stones in various sizes and configurations.

Is this what your looking for? I just picked this up 2 days ago!!

{{gwi:288313}}

Yes, that is! Where did you find it, and what was it called? Thanks!

I got it in Fort Smith, Arknasas!! One of the many names I've learned for it are Texas Holey Rock. I stole this thing for $27!!!!!!

Looks great--congratulations!

$27? Sign me up for a ton!

The man who taught me a lot about Asian garden style was more into Chinese than Japanese and referred to those stones as "dragon's bones" (Val also used tai hu as a name for them).

This Texas holey stone looks exactly like the Chinese stuff, and a hundred pounds of real tai hu would be at least ten times that wholesale! (probably more)

Looks like we have a winner...

IT'S A WAYS AWAY, BUT DOWN BY ME IN BETWEEN CROWLEY AND MANSFIELD, THERE'S A PLACE CALLED "ROCKEY'S" THAT SELLS ALL KINDS OF ROCK, DIRT, ETC... FOR LANDSCAPING.....HE HAS LITERALLY TONS AND TONS OF TEXAS HOLEY ROCK.....WE RECENTLY BOUGHT A 7 PC 5 1/2 FT TALL STAINED CONCRETE PAGODA FOR $210.00

I know I’m about 8 years to late. But I just purchased 52 of the limestone rocks you are talking about they were shipped over from China 20 years ago let me know if anyone is interested in them phillipwyatt866@gmail.com