Natural stone is a natural material with a unique appearance. So if you want to design your own garden as close to nature as possible, you'll be happy to use this timelessly beautiful material. Natural stones fit particularly harmoniously into the landscape and at the same time offer a lot of design scope for individual ideas. There are around 5,000 different natural stones in 40 types of rock worldwide. But each one is unique in terms of color, structure, texture and type of processing. For this reason, we want to give a brief overview of the different garden stones and their use outdoors. If you've ever wondered if there's a difference between decorative chippings and decorative gravel, you'll find out here.
Suitable natural stones for outdoor use
The term “natural stones for the garden” encompasses a large number of types of stone with very different properties. They are characterized primarily by frost resistance. They are usually hard rocks such as granite, porphyry, basalt, quartzite and gneiss. Soft stones such as travertines, marble, sandstone and slate can only be used to a limited extent outdoors. Depending on the type of stone, the porosity varies. For example, travertine is highly porous and can be damaged by frost in winter.
Granit
Granite is a medium to coarse-grained deep rock that is characterized by excellent compressive strength and weather resistance. It is most commonly found within the earth's crust and on all continents. The colors range from white, light gray, yellow gray, red gray to dark gray. It is characteristic that the enclosed crystals can also be seen with the naked eye. The granite can be sawed, ground and polished very well and offers a wide range of uses indoors and outdoors. Outdoors it is used for flooring, paths, patios, curbs, swimming pool cladding, fountains and monuments.
Basalt
Basalt is formed by the rapid cooling of volcanic lava masses. Basically it is very hard, extremely weatherproof, but difficult to work with. That's why it is most often used as paving stones/slabs or in the form of gravel. The basalt is usually dark or black and weathers very slowly.
porphyry
Porphyry is a weather- and frost-resistant rock made up of large individual crystals. The striking colors are typical for him. Depending on the minerals involved, the color can vary from purple to reddish to brownish. Porphyry is used outdoors for steps, wall cladding and paving.
Gneise
Gneiss is a metamorphic rock and is formed by the transformation of granite rock. For this reason, they have similar properties and usage profiles. Compared to granite, gneiss has better bending tensile properties. The color spectrum ranges from grayish to reddish to light pink. Gneiss is mostly used for steps, benches and floor coverings. They are also ideal as part of a dry stone wall.
slate
Slate is a type of structure made up of several plates lying one on top of the other. This creates a leaflet-like structure. It is characterized by good cleavability and natural matt colors. It is only used sparingly outdoors because it is not frost-resistant.
Quartzit
Quartzites are fine- to medium-grained metamorphic rocks defined with high quartz contents. They are characterized by great hardness and weather resistance. They are ideal for floor coverings, terraces or dry stone walls. Quartzite comes in the colors white, gray or anthracite, but blue, red or green tones can also be found in different types of quartz.
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock made of sand grains cemented together, which consist primarily of quartz. Sandstones with a high quartz content have high strength and good weather resistance. However, clayey binders give sandstone a porous structure. These can then absorb water and are therefore sensitive to frost. But sandstone offers excellent opportunities to beautify your own garden. It is used, for example, as pavement material, on terraces and steps. Hardly any other natural stone creates such a Mediterranean atmosphere and impresses with its warm charisma.
Versatile uses for garden stones
Regardless of whether it is granite, basalt or marble, garden stones give outdoor spaces a beautiful shape. Not only are they great for patios, paths and stairs, but also for walls, raised beds, flower beds, water features and more. Let yourself be enchanted by the world of natural stones and find ideas for your own garden project!
Decorative chippings and decorative gravel
Gravel and grit beds are currently very popular because they are easy to create and easy to maintain. While gravel is round, grit is angular, angular and broken. The use of decorative chippings and decorative gravel offers the opportunity to keep areas free of weeds. In addition, moisture is stored in the soil for much longer.
Decorative chippings are available from various natural stones in different designs such as granite chippings, marble chippings, basalt chippings and slate chips. The color spectrum is very diverse. In addition to subtle colors such as white, black and gray, intense colors such as red, yellow and green are also available. The different colors can be ideally combined with each other. Decorative chippings are particularly suitable for designing garden paths, ponds and Zen gardens.
Unlike grit, gravel is round. These are small stones that are naturally or artificially rounded. You can use gravel to create visually appealing paths and beautiful gravel beds. Decorative gravel is also ideal for water features and streams. Polished decorative gravel/glossy gravel also looks very elegant. This gives the stone a beautiful shine and exudes value.
Decorative chippings and gravel in brown are perfect for a natural garden design. White or black stones can be used to create effective accents in the flower bed.
ornamental gravel
Decorative gravel is broken, irregular natural stones that can be used in different ways in the garden. Gravel is smaller than a chicken egg, larger than hazelnuts.
Stone sizes are given in grain sizes
If you have an area in your gardenDesign with decorative chippings, decorative gravel or decorative gravelIf you want to do this, you must also take the grain size into account when calculating the amount of material required. This is the exact size of the individual stones. Decorative chippings and decorative gravel are available in grain sizes between 2 and 32 mm. Decorative gravel is considered to be a stone with a diameter between 32 and 63 mm.
Gravel beds are visually perfect when they are opaque. There are also decorative stone calculators online that could help you calculate the required amount according to the area dimensions.
River stones
In the bed of a river or a streamyou can find them. River stones are larger than gravel and have a nice, smooth surface. They were washed round by the water and formed by nature itself. To create a natural appearance, they are usually used in garden ponds, streams or to decorate fountain basins. The colors range from blue-grey to black, red, green and brown. Thanks to the smooth surface, dirt and algae formation have no chance.
Rubble stones and wall stones
Rubble stones are stones that are irregularly shaped and have not been machined. Every stone is unique and no two are alike. Quarry stones are available from a wide variety of stone types and are ideal for creating dry stone walls, bed borders, slope reinforcement or similar. The quarry stones are also particularly popular as fillings for gabions.
Rubble stones can also be used as masonry. They are only roughly processed until they have two or more parallel sides. They should always look as natural as possible, but also stack well. In terms of their appearance and construction, several types of masonry can be distinguished, such as dry stone walls, quarry stone walls and cyclopean walls. Natural stone walls can be used both for terracing a sloped property and for visual demarcation.
boulders and rocks
Boulders are always a unique highlight when designing gardens. What is a foundling? This is a very special quarry stone created by nature. For garden decoration it is placed as a solitary stone or in a group. There are usually a variety of boulders to choose from, made from a wide variety of natural stones and colors.
Use the effect of contrasting colors to create effective accents in your garden. Black boulders, for example, look particularly good in combination with light granite chippings.
Source stones for wells
With a hole, every boulder can become a decorative stone fountain. But you can also use several quarry stones. Source stones are a popular design element in Japanese gardens, which we can also see more and more often here. The water feature not only enhances the garden visually but also acoustically. According to Feng Shui, the sound of water calms the soul.
A wide variety of stone types are suitable as source stone. Whether you prefer granite, sandstone or slate also depends on your color concept and your garden style. Sandstones can be easily integrated into a Mediterranean garden, while polished or square-sawn source stones in black are better suited to a modern garden design. Millstones can also easily be used as source stones because they already have a hole in the middle. However, installing a large spring stone water feature requires a lot of planning and is rarely available cheaply.
Gabions: wire baskets filled with stones
A gabion is a wire basket filled with stones. The word comes from the Old Italian word “gabbione” and means “big cage”. Gabions have recently become very popular and are used in garden design, for the construction of privacy screens, raised beds, terraces and embankments as well as retaining walls. The use of gabions is a cost-effective alternative to other masonry materials.
Depending on the choice of mesh size, different gabion filling material is used. In addition to natural stones in bright colors and different grain sizes, glass chunks are also available as exclusive gabion fillings.
Curbs and paving stones
Curbs are generally used to border paths, frame beds or any other area. This can also be used to separate different planting zones from one another. These typical design elements usually receive too little attention. Choose the right type of stone depending on the effect you want to achieve in your garden. Sandstone creates a Mediterranean holiday flair, while basalt curbs add dark accents.
Curbs are available in many different colors, formats and with different surface finishes. An alternative to this is palisades - posts that are placed upright in the ground. Palisades made of natural stone are still used as supports, fortifications, fences and raised beds.
Paving stones are available in many different models and made from different materials. Natural stones are the most expensive paving stones because dismantling and processing are very complex because the stones are sawn individually. Granite, porphyry and basalt are considered almost indestructible, while sandstone easily accepts dirt and stains. Natural stones are more expensive than concrete blocks and clinker, but they guarantee a long service life. Natural stone paving can be used for garden paths, patios and driveways. You can choose between different laying patterns such as circles, runner rows and segmented arches. Natural stone paving harmonizes perfectly with other natural building materials. For example, paving and gravel in different colors can be combined.
Polygonal plates and stepping stones
Polygonal panels create visually interesting, varied surfaces. The term “polygonal” originally comes from Greek and means “polygon”. With these irregular natural stone slabs you get a natural terrace or path that fits perfectly into the green surroundings. The floor slabs are made from different types of stone, the thickness is 2-6 centimeters. They are also very popular as separate stepping stones.
Stepping stones are laid in the meadow or in beds to ensure safe footing. The green spaces remain intact in their entirety. Stepping stones made of natural stone are characterized by their slip resistance and frost resistance. Even when wet, they offer firm support for your feet.
Would you like to get a better idea of how to incorporate natural stone into your garden? Then browseon our pagesand collect impressions about the possible uses, the variety of colors and the individual character of the natural stone.
