What should you do best if your gravel garden is banned due to current environmental measures? Here are some possible variations!
Why is every gravel garden banned?
Given ever-changing climate conditions and limited wildlife habitats, some countries are already trying to take important countermeasures. Although coarse gravel gardens in urban areas are beneficial to humans, they can pose enormous dangers to the environment. This is because rock gardens are lessAttract pollinators like beesand when using weed control, the biodiversity in the soil is impaired.
Furthermore, this also makes this more difficultRainwater runoff, which can lead to flooding and further environmental disasters. Since all of these factors would disrupt the balance of any ecosystem, virtually any gravel garden could currently be banned. It would therefore make sense to find out how an existing gravel bed can be greened and converted into an environmentally friendly garden. This means there is no reason to dismantle the gravel garden and you can optimize an existing gravel garden to offer plants and animals a new home. Below are some possible steps you can take to make your own contribution to the environment.
How to convert a pebble floor into living garden space?
If gravel gardening is banned, the challenge will be to convert the majority of gravel-filled garden beds into environmentally friendly space. If there is a film underneath, the task would require more effort as you should remove it and dispose of it properly. The next important step is to collect, pack and get rid of as many stones as possible. A simpler option would be to continue to use the gravel and populate it with plants and animals. To do this, however, you need fine-grained and composted material that you can add to itAdd pebble soil. This allows you to create natural-like conditions for wild plants, insects and animals searching for food in an otherwise lifeless garden area.
The next step, if weeds are present, is to pull them out so that future vegetation can develop without obstacles. After that there would usually be aDigging the garden soilnecessary. However, you can make this equally laborious task easier by digging planting holes in the ground. You then simply fill this with potting soil in which you can later plant flower bulbs. Of course, you can also lay lawn, but you will have to remove a lot of the gravel and prepare the ground well. When growing plants, it's also a good idea to spread them out in groups so they can spread evenly.
To allow germination and plant growth, you can cover the gravel area with a few centimeters of sand or finer gravel. Then use a shovel to spread certified compost on top and prepare the soil for future cultivation. Finally, all you have to do is work the ground surface with a garden fork or rake so that the substrate required for growth can penetrate below the surface and mix well with the gravel. You can then either use seeds for poor meadows and let them develop on their own, or consider some plant varieties for dry conditions.
Which plants to choose if a gravel garden is banned?
Depending on the space available, you can have up to six plants per square meter to green your gravel bed. After you have removed any previously used weed control fabric, you canopt for ground coverto keep weeds at bay. Such plant varieties tend to grow quickly and will decorate a previously lifeless gravel garden. Also try to find wildflowers that have lots of blooms to attract more beneficial insects to the garden. You can also equip the garden area with bee troughs or birdhouses and other feeding places so that you can restore harmony with the wildlife more quickly.
In addition, when selecting plants for dry locations, it is advisable to choose suitable varieties. Succulents are a good example of this as they store water in their thick leaves and are heat resistant. This also makes plant care easier and saves water or fertilizers, as such thick-leaved plants require less irrigation and nutrients. Garden soil like this will need to be watered more often at first, but then the plants will quickly establish themselves and grow easily.
Many herbal plants are also suitable for growing on gravel or stones, such as rosemary, oregano, sage, lavender, etc. These can tolerate harsh weather conditions and can also be used practically in the kitchen for numerous dishes or tea preparations. Additionally, you can choose any wild plant varieties that can withstand high or low temperatures and are drought tolerant. These would be, for example, wild perennials such as steppe sage or geraniums, as well as other wild flowers or wild roses. You can also spread dead wood around the garden as improvised insect hotels for useful insects such as wild bees. These would not only beautify your garden but also contribute to biodiversity.
