Incorporating Stones into Your Landscape
The most alluring gardens have a mixture of textures and colors that are intriguing to the eye. Beyond mixing perennials, grasses, and trees, one can utilize stone in their landscape design to create a balanced effect. Options can vary from marking the borders of the garden, incorporating a design within the interior, to making the stone the centerpiece of your landscape design.
At Patuxent, we have a wide range of stone options:
-Crushed stone -Wallstone
-Gravel -Brick
-Decorative stone -Veneer
-Pavers
Here are our favorite ways to incorporate these products into your landscape:
Stone patio
Probably the most common use of stone in a yard is for a patio. When expertly laid, bricks, cottage stone, and Kings Land stone can establish an outdoor area for patio furniture, fire features, and play or workspaces. Consult with a specialist at Patuxent Nursery to design your outdoor patio today!
In place of mulch
Similar to wooden mulch, placing pebbles around your plants will prevent weed growth and protect the roots of your plants. Although more expensive, stones and pebbles will not decompose and will last much longer in your garden than organic mulch. Applying stones to a landscape will also help prevent erosion.
This form of mulching is recommended when mulching desert plants such as cacti, or succulents. With pebbles and gravel, mulch does not retain as much moisture as it would with an organic mulch. The rocks mimic the natural habitat of desert plants, which will help them to thrive in new conditions.
Water feature
If you’re looking for an elegant and tranquil backyard attraction, a natural stone water feature may be the way to go. With a little extra work, you could create a beautiful focal point for your outdoor space that you won’t find in all of your neighbor’s yards. Building materials include a water pump, rock fill, pond liner. While natural stones are most common to create an untouched effect, stacking large rocks and small stones will create a more elaborate fountain. If you are not up for the task, you can always consult with a landscape architect.
Rock garden
If you are not someone who does not have ample time to care for a grass lawn, rocks can be a great alternative as a ground cover for neglected yard space. Gravel gardens and dry streambeds are essential elements in Japanese garden designs. Adding a wide variety of types, textures, and colors of rocks will make a captivating garden design. In bulk at Patuxent, we have River Cobble, Rip Rap, Pea Gravel, Washed Gravel, and Blue Stone that will all work perfectly in your yard.
Around a fire pit
A fire pit can be an eye-catching and useful addition to your outdoor space. You can take it a step further and surround your firepit with small stones and barriers for an appealing barrier between the fire and the ground. Patuxent is a retailer of both Eagle Bay and Cambridge stones and pavers, both can design and create custom stone fireplaces for your yard.
Edging
When planting a tree, it is recommended to dig a shallow ditch surrounding the tree to keep the mulch in place and your landscaping clean. A viable alternative is a stone retaining wall that will keep the dirt and mulch from migrating into the surrounding areas.
Pathway
A line of large, flat stepping stones can create a classic pathway through your garden. The first step in creating a stone pathway is to map out where you want it to lay. Remove everything from this area. This is especially important, in that you do not want grass or weeds to grow through your pathway after it has been laid; an application of landscape fabric is recommended to further prevent weed growth. Next, add a layer of sand, arrange your stones, and fill in the gaps with remaining sand or pebbles to create a solid, finished look.
Markers for a vegetable garden
Landscaping stones offer a versatile approach to adding organization when planning out your vegetable garden. Get out your paintbrush and some outdoor paint to add some personal touch and style. Rather than standard wooden or plastic markers, landscaping stones can provide durable and visually pleasing markers for your garden. They can survive the elements better than most markers, keeping your garden looking sharp for years to come.
Thank you for reading and we’ll see you in the garden!
I finally have a patio area constructed on my residential property in Los Angeles, so I was thinking of working on the hardscaping of my backyard next to give my patio a good garden view. It was quite helpful when you recommended that we use rocks to cover up neglected yard space since we can use this to create a captivating rock garden design instead if we don’t have ample time to take care of a grass lawn. I’ll be sure to bear this in mind while I look for a gravel supplier working in LA to hire for my garden project soon.
I’ve always enjoyed looking at rock gardens like those in Japan, and now that my new house has a wide backyard, I was thinking of setting one up here soon. It’s great that you brought up how gravel gardens are a good idea if we want to place a ground cover for our neglected yard space but do not have enough time to take care of a grass lawn ourselves. I’ll be sure to keep this in mind and contact a gravel supplier for the rocks I’ll be needing for my gravel garden at home soon.