Garden design with stones and gravel

Gravel is mostly used for special gravel beds, Asian gardens and a wide variety of path solutions. Natural stones such as boulders set accents. Natural stone slabs beautify terraces and paths. Stones are often used in garden design. For example, when constructing bed boundaries, stair design, constructing ponds and watercourses, slope stabilization, constructing raised beds and herb snails and creating water basins.

Different types of gravel

The word gravel comes from the Middle High German word “kis”. It roughly means coarse-grained, stony sand. Gravel is not just gravel. It is offered in different grain sizes, grain sizes or grain size fractions. Gravel with a grain size of more than 63 mm is rubble. Split gravel is more angular than normal gravel. Gravel is also often used. Grit is also used quite frequently in garden design.

  • Marble gravel – very light-colored gravel, almost white, classic among light-colored natural stones, goes particularly well with expressive, dark colors and as a splash guard on the house wall, is also often used for bed covers and gravel beds
  • Quartz gravel – usually beige to brown in color, often offered with a small grain size, between 6 and 8 mm,
  • Basalt chippings – dark gray to black stone, fine-grained base mass, rarely inclusions, ideal covering material for paths and squares, also for filling bordered areas
  • Rheinkies – comes from the Rhein-Main area, often the cheapest offer, grain size between 2 and 150mm (graded) ideal for gravel verges, green roofs and to beautify certain areas
  • Crushed rock – crushed rock with a grain size between 32 and 63 mm. Gravel is used in the construction of trafficable paths and natural paving.
  • Grit – particularly small stone, mineral building block with a grain size of 2 to 32 mm, one of the most commonly used road construction products
  • Rolled chippings – used in the construction of driveways and parking lots for cars due to the increased load and durability properties
  • Decorative chippings – made of various types of rock, different colors, ideal covering material for paths, decorative plaster (joint chippings) for terrain and garden areas
  • A good overview of garden gravel and the different types can be found at: www.gartenkies.de

Create a decorative gravel bed

Creating a gravel bed is not difficult. Depending on the size, it involves some work, because a good layer of soil has to be removed. After completion, you don’t have much work with such a bed. Plants that are particularly suitable are those that like to be nice and warm, because the stones absorb heat, store it and release it again. The disadvantage of a gravel bed is that small leaves and the like tend to get caught between the stones and have to be laboriously picked out. You should keep this in mind when planting. It is therefore not advisable when gardening to create a gravel bed in the immediate vicinity of small-leaved trees and shrubs.

  • Remove topsoil to a depth of 20 to 30 cm
  • Remove all weeds
  • Mix topsoil with gravel and fill up to 25 cm
  • Cover the area with a weed fleece
  • Then plant. To do this, cut the fleece in an X-shape
  • Cover everything with a layer of gravel at least 5 cm thick

Stones can be used in a variety of ways and are sure to be found somewhere in every garden, whether it’s the driveway, the floor for the carport or the like.

Different types of stone

Stones are used almost everywhere in design. We differentiate between patio and path slabs, paving stones, bricks, palisades, boulders, rocks and again gravel and grit. No matter whether it is a classic or romantic, Mediterranean or Asian garden, whether it is lavishly or minimalistically furnished, hardly any garden can do without stone in any form.

Natural stones look the most beautiful, no matter which stone is used. This building material is ancient, solid, resistant and appears absolutely alive due to its veining, pores and grain. Regardless of whether terrace slabs, paving stones, palisades or bricks, nothing beats natural stone.

Recently, however, more and more concrete blocks have been used. Quality and appearance have greatly improved. Unfortunately, the prices for good concrete stone have also risen quite a bit and often hardly differ from natural stone. Concrete stone in the garden design has the advantage that you can design almost any surface. So it is also possible to make them look like wood. Wood weathers, concrete block with a wood look, on the other hand, lasts almost forever.

Stone types at a glance

  • Shell limestone – many color and structural nuances on offer, for floor coverings, paving, walls, steles, sculptures, furniture, fountain systems, absolutely versatile, but not exactly a bargain
  • Basalt – mostly dark gray to black stone, fine-grained matrix, rarely inclusions, well suited as paving and floor slabs, i.e. for terraces, paths, driveways and the like, abrasion makes the surface smooth and slippery when wet
  • Granite – medium to coarse grained stone interspersed with crystals, colors ranging from light gray to bluish, red and yellowish. Suitable for decking, paths, sculptures, furniture, fountains, pools, stairs, borders…
  • Limestone – stones in light gray to grey-yellow, if other minerals are added, red colors also occur, dark gray to black stones are also possible with bitumen, softer rock that weathers faster than granite, for example
  • Sandstone – sedimentary rock with at least 50% sand grains, available in many colors, usually very light, in cream, beige and yellowish, but reddish and dark stones are also possible, soft stone, weathers faster than other natural stone
  • Quartzite – very hard rock, quartz content of at least 98%, often white or white-grey in color, but red and yellow stones also occur, depending on the admixture, due to the low porosity, no moss settles, frost changes, de-icing salt and other factors can the stones get cracks and are blown up

garden paths

Both gravel and a wide variety of stones are suitable for garden paths. Gravel is an inexpensive solution for paths. Especially young families who have just built a house and who do not have the money for an elaborate garden design like to use gravel. However, it is important that both the gravel bed underneath and the boundaries on the sides are laid out correctly. This way the trail doesn’t spread sideways, stays in shape and doesn’t sink over time. I don’t want to hide one disadvantage of gravel here, walking barefoot is quite uncomfortable.

If you would like to walk barefoot on the garden path, you should use other stones instead of the sharp-edged and sometimes pointed pebbles. River pebbles or even small slabs of slate, only a few centimeters in size and flat, are ideal. However, slate can get quite warm because it is dark and warms up when exposed to the sun, but it looks very nice.
In addition to a path paved with gravel and/or small stones, there are numerous other options. The layer structure is important, a compacted subsoil made of earth, a base layer made of crushed stone or gravel, a paving bed made of chippings and paving sand and on top the stones. Curb stones are usually favorable as edging. The stones can be laid in different patterns such as staggered bond, arched pavement, herringbone pattern and others.

Different ways

  • Paved path – there are numerous different natural and concrete paving stones, in different colors and shapes, so that you can also design patterns well.
  • Paved path – similar to terraces, paths can of course also be laid. Different colors, shapes and sizes are also possible here, so that you can let your imagination run wild
  • Paving clinker – bricks fired from clay, mostly in red, yellow and brown tones, especially for natural gardens, very natural appearance, particularly popular in Northern Germany
  • Tread plates – made of natural or concrete stone, are suitable for laying in the lawn or in a gravel area, are usually quite large, eg 100 x 40 cm
  • Irregular natural stone slabs – fit particularly well in naturally designed gardens, with a touch of nostalgia, available in different colors and made of different stones
  • Cat cobblestones – natural stone with a relatively high proportion of joints when embedding, rustic stones, processed by wind and weather, very bumpy path, not suitable for high heels, but good for walking barefoot, also ideal for naturally designed edges in the garden

stairs

Steps lead safely and comfortably from one level to the next. Stairs are also important design elements in garden design. Whether semi-circular or wide, curved or straight, with stairs a garden can always be experienced from different perspectives. Non-slip surfaces are important. A railing should be installed on steep and long stairs. If you want to make the garden barrier-free, i.e. suitable for wheelchair users, you have to design ramps instead of stairs. The incline should not be more than 6 to 10 percent.

Materials for stairs are similar to paths. Of course, gravel and small stones are out of the question. Slabs, tiles, clinker, paving stones and flat blocks of natural stone are best.

limitations

It doesn’t matter whether the garden is to be separated from the neighbors or from the street, whether a slope is to be paved and paths and bed areas are to be separated, no matter what a border is needed for, stones are ideal for this. Depending on the height and width, different stones are used in the garden design.

  • Gabions – use as privacy and noise protection
    • Wire mesh cages form the framework, which can be filled with different stones. For high walls, a foundation is necessary, as well as walled-in supports that give the whole thing stability. Low walls usually do without foundations and supports.
  • Stone walls in various designs – natural stone wall
    • Arrange when laying so that no more than three joints meet, butt joints must not go through more than two layers. Cavities may only be small
  • Granite blocks can provide a decorative retaining and dividing wall, and also support small slopes and embankments
  • Brick patio surrounds at seat height
    • Raised beds are very popular behind them. If the terrace is bordered with a small wall, the bed can be designed behind it. The wall can also be used as a seat.

Stream with stones

Streams can be designed very differently with stones, depending on which stones are used. Thanks to the stones, the shape and size of the watercourses can be easily adapted to the existing outdoor facilities and conditions in the garden. Whether you let a small waterfall flow into a pond or create a separate stream, there are countless variations in garden design. A stream needs a gradient. 1 to 2 percent are generally sufficient for a quiet meadow stream. A rushing mountain stream needs a little more, around 5 percent. The water reservoir must be large enough. A supply of 25 to 30 liters per meter of stream bed has proven itself, depending on the width of the stream.

  • Dramatically stacked slabs of slate create a rocky landscape. A waterfall can be easily staged from the flat panels.
  • Prefabricated watercourse elements, eg made of robust polyresin, are practical. They are good at imitating a natural stream. With a few real rocks and river pebbles you create a completely natural bed.
  • A natural stream can also be created with pond liner and larger stones. First the gradient has to be modeled and the earth has to be compacted. Everything is covered with sand or a fleece. Then comes the pond liner. The edge must not be too tight. The individual terraces are developed by layering larger stones around the flat zones. The stones are fixed with mortar. The gravel cover is then applied over the foil. The foil edges must be pulled steeply upwards on the side. They must protrude above the water level. Cover this film with a layer of pebbles.

Conclusion
Stones and gravel are great for designing in the garden. Whether paths, squares, terraces, walls, stairs, raised beds, furniture, ponds, streams and much more. Stones in the garden design are versatile and very natural. There is a wide variety of natural and artificial stones. There is a large selection of materials, shapes and colours. There is something for every budget.

Kira Bellingham

I'm a homes writer and editor with more than 20 years' experience in publishing. I have worked across many titles, including Ideal Home and, of course, Homes & Gardens. My day job is as Chief Group Sub Editor across the homes and interiors titles in the group. This has given me broad experience in interiors advice on just about every subject. I'm obsessed with interiors and delighted to be part of the Homes & Gardens team.

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