© Futuro automates zeroLow-maintenance, drought-tolerant, and perfect for small spaces, a gravel garden fulfills many needs. No wonder it's undergoing a renaissance.
Gravel gardens are not out of the question. A modern design filled with hardy, drought-tolerant plants can turn small spaces into real talking points. The benefits of a gravel garden are enormous.
There are a variety of plants that struggle without well-drained soil, and starting a gravel garden is a great way to make the most of them. No need for minimal watering and weeding; In addition, aromatic and drought-tolerant plants that value dry soil tend to be more resistant to pests and diseases. The only hard work of gravel edging is creating it, and it could start this spring for a lush, lush garden this summer.
Designing a sustainable garden has become a gardening trend that is high on the wish list of many homeowners and gardeners. The importance of open spaces that not only look good but support wildlife and help mitigate climate change is vital to our ecosystems. For this reason, more and more people are choosing gravel gardens.
When it comes to garden design ideas, using locally sourced natural materials like stone and gravel can reduce the carbon footprint of production and transportation.
Whether it's a design that includes a path to your front door, a path that winds around your backyard, or a destination path that leads to a specific location, a gravel garden can change the look and feel of your outdoor space.
1. Get inspired by the Mediterranean
With forecasts of an extended hot and dry summer due to global warming and rising surface temperatures, we need to think about how this will affect our gardens. Finally, it is becoming increasingly important to make our British gardens more drought tolerant.
“Gravel is ideal for Mediterranean and arid gardens,” says gardener Derry Watkins of Special Plants, “because winter moisture usually kills them.” Mediterranean plants hate wet roots. The stone also stores heat. You don't need to mix gravel with soil, just plant it. Gravel may seem expensive at first, but in the long run, it requires little maintenance.
Do the basics now, and in the spring, plant drought-tolerant plants like yucca, rosemary, helichrysum, and verbena in the gravel and their roots will be in the soil. When they grow happily on attractive, low-maintenance rocks, it's easy to see why this waterless style of gardening is becoming so popular.
2. Keep thieves away with a gravel garden
Not only is gravel beautiful, cheap, and low maintenance, but the often loud crunch it makes underfoot can be a good theft deterrent.
Burglars hate gravel driveways and front lawns, so they often avoid them from the start. However, they don't want you to worry about that, so invest in a size of gravel that won't easily stick to your living room baseboards and "bleed" into the house.
Gravel can also be used to smooth paved edges and tie up loose areas in a garden, making a gravel garden a win-win!
3. Create a Japanese-style garden
Known for their peaceful and meditative vibes, Japanese gardens are understated and sophisticated, focusing on form and structure rather than too many riotous flowers, making them the perfect spot for gravel.
Replace grass or paving with gravel or sand to balance the fit. Arrange the steps in a winding path through the garden (avoid straight lines) and place large rocks or pebbles as focal points to create a sense of rhythm. You can also sprinkle gravel or sand in circles or lines around rocks to represent waves or flowing water.
When it comes to zen garden ideas, remember that less is more: a clean look and a subdued color palette create a sense of calm.
4. Use Gravel to Kill Weeds
If your yard is a breeding ground for summer weeds, gravel might be the answer you're looking for.
Weeds grow less than in fertile soil, and ground cover plants can spread freely without being crowded out by competitors. A gravel garden is a good option as it suppresses weeds almost completely. Unlike mulch, such as shredded bark, it does not rot.
This balance of plants and stone is characteristic of Mediterranean landscapes, a popular gardening trend this year.
5. Add some gravel for a beautiful winding road.
Garden path ideas are a great way to define and divide up areas of your garden and encourage you to look further afield.
Gravel paths are inexpensive, easy to build, and work especially well in urban and suburban gardens, either with well-defined visible borders or with overhanging plants that hide the limiting border.
Dense subsoil is important, which can be existing soil if it is hard loam, or boulder or hard rock otherwise; The membrane layer, permeable to the landscape, helps to suppress the growth of weeds.
Gravel and gravel, a mixture of gravel, sand and clay that combine and allow water to dry out, is ideal for dry gardens, which can be more common with climate change. Most self-bonding or self-compacting crushed stone is usually mined locally, which contributes to its environmental friendliness.
6. Choose Gravel for a Low-Maintenance Field
If you're short on time or just don't have a green thumb, a gravel garden is an easy option. When you plant a gravel garden properly, this is the part of your garden that needs the least amount of maintenance. Apart from cutting and removing leaves, there is not much to do.
Perfect for the laid-back trail, gravel is softer to the touch than hard pavement and comes in a variety of colors. It's also relatively inexpensive, easy to install, and allows rainwater to seep through, preventing flooding.
Before you begin, it is important to first remove all perennial weeds and get the right balance of soil and gravel; for example, if you don't apply a thick enough layer of gravel to heavy soil, it will kill weeds.
7. Choose an eco-friendly option
If you're hoping to create an outdoor space that's not only affordable and low maintenance, but also sustainable, gravel combined with partially recycled scaffolding decking is a fantastic option.
“Recycled or recycled materials offer great opportunities for gravel driveways. Used scaffolding boards or partially recycled composite materials such as decking are good options,” says Amelia Bouquet, owner of Amelia Bouquet Garden Design.
“Treat scaffolding boards with an environmentally friendly wood preservative to keep them from rotting and coming into direct contact with the ground. For a flood-resistant gravel driveway, try pavers. Mount them on a free-draining spiked sand base to make your driveway permeable, with mortar-set edges for added stability.
When choosing materials, keep in mind that some stones are of dubious origin; for example, mining gravel from the seabed in an open pit can kill marine life. Buy aggregate and recycled stone from landfills whenever possible; or if you're buying a new stone, make sure it's from the Ethical Trade Initiative.
8. Make sure you choose the right plants
Many drought tolerant plants are native to the Mediterranean and grow naturally on dry, rocky soil. It is therefore not surprising that they thrive in gravel gardens in the UK, where a layer of infill keeps the roots cool, minimizing evaporation and protecting them from frost.
When it comes to plant selection, focus on hardy evergreens interspersed with bulbs to add a splash of seasonal color: spring alliums and tulips; lilies and agapanthus in summer; and in autumn Hesperantha coccinea and Nerines.
Roses, lavender, and euphorbia are also great choices for a gravel garden. Then, to add spontaneity, liven up your own seeds, such as hellebore and poppy, to add vibrant colors.
9. Scatter gravel to keep snails out.
Although it will not be possible to completely eliminate garden blows. In fact, you can control these common pests by creating physical barriers at ground level.
The gravel (and coarse sand) is not only a good herbicide and burglar deterrent, but also deters snails from vulnerable plants and flowers in the area.
10. Create a living room
Gravel is one of the best materials for small patios. Whether you use it as part of your contemporary rock garden or Mediterranean garden, consider making room for a great garden seating idea.
Make sure you have a large enough space in a sunny location, as shown here. Then add a selection of the best outdoor furniture, such as: B. a bistro table and chairs or lounge chairs to create a private space to relax. You will immediately feel that you are on a Mediterranean holiday.
How can I decorate my garden with gravel?
Making a gravel garden look good is a lot easier than you think, and it can even stand on its own.
A gravel garden is a practical low-maintenance and low-mowing option. Therefore, it is important that it does not have weeds on it if you want it to remain beautiful.
Choose a sunny, well-drained, weed-free location; While any type of soil is possible, sandy or sandy soil works best. To prevent plants from self-seeding, lay landscape cloth on the ground and cut out crosses to insert plants, then add a 2-3 inch layer of gravel.
Gravel comes in a variety of colors and sizes, so choose a color that complements other hard surfaces and structures in your garden. Local gravel is usually cheaper.
Watch for weeds for the first few years until the plants are large enough to be uprooted. Self-sowing plants will sprout, which will give the garden a natural look; If they are too loose, just remove the part. A good selection of plants includes herbs, erection, stalk, spurge and nepeta.
What can I plant in my gravel garden?
There are so many things you can put in a gravel garden. The decorative possibilities and possibilities for pets are endless.
Create blurry borders and transition areas between objects, such as lawns, ponds, and garden edges, using gravel and pebbles. Choose from a traditional rock garden or a more modern gravel garden; use colored fillers to lighten up a dark corner; and play with a mix of rocks like rocks, pebbles and pebbles to add movement and energy to your yard.
Start building a gravel garden now to become a late summer centerpiece and you'll have a beautiful, low-maintenance garden for years to come.
