There are countless ways to approach garden and landscaping design, and countless materials to consider.
However, a really effective way to pull the space together is to create a gravel garden, with benefits including ease of maintenance, drainage, water conservation and more.
What is a gravel garden?
As the name might suggest, a gravel garden is one where plants are grown through a thick layer of gravel or stone aggregate that’s been spread over the soil.
You can choose to adopt this approach for the entire space or just dedicate a zone of the garden to gravel.
What is key, however, is to make sure you’ve selected a sunny area with good natural drainage before digging the soil over and mixing in some compost or grit, which will help your plants acclimatise.
Level the ground approximately 5cm below any paths or lawn, then install some edging to keep the gravel in place. As for the gravel itself, choose an angular product between 10-20mm in size, as this will help it stay in place and make it easier to walk on.
Is a gravel garden a good idea?
Key benefits of gravel gardens include:
Low maintenance
You’ll find that you don’t need to do much in the way of upkeep with this style of garden, including mowing, weeding and regular feeding.
Water conservation & drainage
Because gravel is a permeable substance, you will find that it can help reduce water flooding by allowing water to soak through into the ground, rather than run off elsewhere.
And you will likely need to water less, because the gravel acts as a natural mulch, slowing down soil evaporation.
Pest control
One big problem gardeners face is, of course, pests! But gravel can help keep populations under control, as slugs and snails don’t like crawling over sharp surfaces.
Get in touch
Need any help putting your gravel gardens together? Give the LW Landscapes team a call today.