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Landscaping Ideas That Use Stones

Introduction

You don’t need to have a desert landscape theme to use rocks and stones in your garden. With a bit of creativity, you can incorporate them in a vast number of ways. However, if you need to get stone or paved walkways, patio, and driveways for your property you can hire professionals to build it for you by searching for “paving companies near me”. Let’s check out a few interesting landscaping ideas with stones:

The Ideas

  1. Choose the right stones – Stones can be incorporated into any landscape as long as you choose the right variety. Different types of rocks and stones accompany different types of aesthetic tones as well. For instance, river rocks and beach pebbles add warmth while white marble chips can make shady areas in your garden appear brighter.

If you have a formal themed garden flat terracotta stone may not be right for you. However, they would perfectly complement a tropical setting. If you’re going for a minimalist theme, you can try out black lava rocks due to their subtle yet noticeable charm. You need to browse through thousands of photos of rockscapes online to figure out what would be the perfect fit for you.

  1. Replace mulch – Stones are much more expensive than mulch and that’s why this idea may seem ridiculous. However, stones and rocks have many advantages as a groundcover. Unlike mulch, durable stones would last you a lifetime. Moreover, you can customize the ground cover by choosing the right shade for stones. For instance, if you have deep-colored foliage, the light-colored stone ground cover would create a contrasting look.

You can also control the attention of visitors by cleverly arranging a groundcover made of stones. If you have a special specimen tree or an exotic shrub, you can highlight it by surrounding it with medium-sized river stones. This makes your prized tree or shrub look like a living sculpture. Moreover, rocks are more effective than mulch at discouraging weed growth. However, it’s best to install a weed barrier before laying down the stones.

  1. Back to the stone age – Everyone loves the Flintstones. The characters are still reenacted today on Halloween and people build all kinds of projects based on the show. You can also make Fred proud by building a stone fire pit and seating arrangement that looks right out of the stone age.

You can have a firepit made of medium-sized stones in the middle surrounded by large stone seats. To add contrast, you have a gravel or pebble base along with some brown mulch cover. If you need to add some bright colors, strategically plant small shrubs and plants around the stone seats.

  1. Xeriscape – With global warming and rising average daily temperatures xeriscaping has become a necessity instead of a niche hobby for environmentalists. However, you don’t need to sacrifice aesthetics to save the environment or money on your water bill.

You can use stones for xeriscaping and reduce irrigation needs drastically. Stones allow water to quickly find its way down the soil and keep the roots moist. Moreover, they take most of the brunt of harsh sunlight and prevent water from evaporating from the soil due to high temperatures.

  1. Create walkways and walls – Pavers and bricks aren’t the only materials that can be used for walkways. You can also make walkways out of stones. While they have a high upfront cost, they require almost no maintenance, have high durability, and can be repaired with relative ease.

They also look much better than paver walkways and with time develop a unique character. If you live in a hilly area, you can also make retaining walls out of large stones and use smaller stones to separate your level lawn from the retaining wall. All of these elements create a medieval look that looks fantastic in a sloped property.

  1. Hold back the soil – With stones you can do a lot more than just walkways and walls on a sloped property. If you have a sloped backyard, you can use large flat rocks to build a terraced garden. Large stones hold back the soil till plants cover them and strengthen them with their roots. You can complement the dark brown soil and deep-colored foliage on plants with light-colored stones. Flat rocks can make a stable and sturdy wall without the need for cement or mortar.
  1. French drain – Good drainage is important to make sure that your home stays dry and free from mold. You can have a functional and pretty solution in the form of a French drain. Dig up the ground to lay slotted pipes and filter fabric. When it comes to adding gravel, you can get creative and make the French drain a visible landmark in your landscape instead of a hidden feature.

Instead of the usually cheap gravel to stop sand and mud from clogging the drain, use bright colored pebbles. Make the French drain come out under a patch of green in a bed of pebbles, and you have an attractive landscape feature that also plays a key role in keeping your home dry.

  1. Asian Garden design – You can also take inspiration from Asian gardens and use large steppingstones and rectangular slabs around your garden’s water features. Asian gardens make splendid use of rocks to add textures and provide durable groundcover. They need a lot of time, patience, and energy to set up.

However once set up they need little to no maintenance. You can also use rocks to grow moss in the dark and shaded parts of your landscape. However, it may not be suited for everyone since moss needs damp conditions for sustainable growth and requires plenty of water to stay bright green.

Conclusion

As you can see there are numerous ways to use stones in your landscape designs. They can be both functional and ornamental. On the other hand, if you need to get your patio, driveway, or walkway paved or repaired you can search for “paving companies near me” and hire professionals for the job.

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