There is nothing better than garden design with gravel and grit, both visually and practically. The small rounded or angular stones are ideal for covering small and large decorative beds, for garden paths or for visually organizing areas in a uniform manner. Gravel or chippings in outdoor areas impress with their natural stone look, available in several colors, after proper installation it is almost maintenance-free and can be used in any area of the garden. In the article you will find important tips and ideas for investing, designing and maintaining.
What is ornamental gravel? what isDecorative chippings? What is the difference between them? Ornamental gravel refers to small artificially or naturally rounded stones, resembling river stones. In contrast, the decorative chippings have an angular, angular structure, resembling quarry stones. The two types are currently trendy because they are easy to create and particularly easy to care for. These are available from specialist retailers in various types of natural stone - from almost white to dark anthracite or in warm earth tones.
Choose and arrange varieties
- Marble stone in bright white, burgundy red with white veins, gray-blue
- Basalt colorful or extra black
- Bordeaux Pebble
- champagnepebble
- Colorfully mixed glacier gravel
- Natural granite light gray or red
- Quartz white, reddish-brown, black-white, deep black
- Rosenquarz
The design in the garden brings many of the hobby gardeners' ideas to fruition and is particularly easy to care for. It only requires an initial investment of time and money, after which leaves and any confusing bumps are removed with the rake.
Garden paths, avenues, playgrounds, around plant beds and flower pots are often laid with gravel or grit. The result is a neat, modern overall picture and enables the creation of imaginative shapes using different colors. It helps to displace weeds, does not allow the soil to dry out quickly and, unlike mulch, does not dissolve over time.
Since the small stones from the pre-planned area can scatter in heavy rain or if it is a sidewalk, it would be advisable to arrange them in beds and zones. Metallic strips or decorative larger stones or paving are used. Plants can also thrive in gravel-covered soil.
This can also be used to create large areas in the garden. You should take into account where you would place the garden furniture, as the odd structure of the stones is not stable enough as a base for the table and seating.
Gravel or chippings are easier to create than other solid outdoor covering materials. For this purpose, you should dig up a bed about 25 centimeters deep and remove all weeds and roots. Then it is covered with weed fleece or pond liner. If you use several pieces of fleece, they should overlap each other by at least 10 cm. Coarse gravel is mixed with soil and shaken evenly over the film. Cover the final 8 centimeters of decorative gravel and 5 centimeters of decorative chippings with the corresponding material. To promote more stability, the creative hobby gardener can sprinkle the decorative bed with fine stone sand.
In autumn you should regularly rake the leaves from the gravel bed. The grit and pebbles cannot be dissolved over time, but they can sink into the ground, especially if the soil has a large clay content. Then a replenishment is needed every 4-5 years.
Perhaps the biggest challenge in gravel bed maintenance is removing the snow. You clean up the majority of it with the shovel and melt the last layer with the help of sea salt.
This variant for garden design enables the creation of color contrasts in the bed and the use of different colors. When plants are planted in the gravel bed, experts advise against crowning the stones too small. A crowning of 8/16 to 16/32 millimeters for decorative gravel and 16/25 to 25/40 millimeters for decorative chippings is recommended. Here is a calculation for guidance for 100 square meters of space:
- 5 centimeters height of the bed – 7,500 kilogramsDecorative chippingswith a crown of 8/16 millimeters
- 8 centimeters height of the bed – 12,000 kilogramsZierkieswith a coronation of 16/25 millimeters
Our tip: due to possible freight costs, look for a supplier in the area. Don't forget the “rough work” such as digging up the bed if you don't do it yourself, as well as the fleece to cover the ground. Greenery and decorative design elements are also included in the bill.
Pros:
- inexpensive
- easy to create
- easy to care for - just by raking
- prevents weeds
- prevents erosion
- Serves as a rodent barrier
- improves drainage
- Versatile - for garden paths, stone beds, garden design in Japanese or Mediterranean style
- visually neat and modern
Contras:
- Risk of scattering the stones
- not a solid basis for garden furniture
- Replenishment every 4-5 years
- difficult atSnow removal
- Decorative gravel becomes slippery when it rains
A design in the garden requires a predominantly full sun location and therefore drought-loving plants, shrubs and grasses. Here are some good possible alternatives:
- Lavender
- Shrub roses
- Dwarf Sparrow
- Elfenbeinginster – Cytissus x praecox
- Butterfly Bush – Buddleia davidii
- Catnip – Nepeta faassenii
- Lampenputzergras – Pennisetum alopecuroides
- Small quaking grass – Briza minor
- Reitgras – Calamagrostis varia
- Rich blue Alpine gentian – Gentiana alpina
- White flowering mullein – Verbascum
- Spicy locust – Liatris spicata
- Wolfsmilch – Euphorbia seguieriana ssp. Nicciian
- Torch lilies – Kniphofia uvaria
- Bart-Iris – Iris barbata
- Taglilie – Hemerocallis
- Sacred Bamboo – Nandina domestica
- White Japanese Anemone – Anemone japonica Honorine Jobert
- Magnolia as a standard tree – Magnolia liliiflora 'Susan'
- Japanese umbrella fir – Sciadopitys verticillata
- White Japanese Anemone – Anemone japonica Honorine Jobert
