Beautiful gardens often combine natural plants and foliage with hardscape elements. One substance that you can use to build hardscape features in your backyard is natural stone. Consider the following ways you can include rock on your property.
Retaining Walls
Your garden doesn't have to be sloping or on a hill for you to enjoy the beauty and excitement of a retaining wall. You can build raised garden beds in a flat backyard, around which you can construct a retaining wall in travertine, sandstone or bluestone. Elevated garden beds add interest by creating different levels. You could build raised garden areas around the periphery of your yard to disguise a boring fence. The beds will provide a stepping stone to the wall and soften its appearance. Of course, if you have a sloping garden, you can create levels and tiers to increase usable areas.
Patio Paving
Another way to use natural stone is to pave over your patio. You can select between rectangle, square and fan-shaped pavers, which you can combine to create distinctive patterns. For example, running bond, basketweave and herringbone are several possibilities. Ashlar paving designs combine different shapes and sizes, which enhance the paving's decorative appeal. Not only is a stone patio beautiful, but it creates a sturdy surface that drains rainwater, allowing you to get around your garden safely. To unify the landscape, you could lay pathways using matching or contrasting pavers.
Garden Beds
Natural stone can enhance your garden beds in various ways. You can use pebbles and crushed rock as mulch to block weeds and insulate the soil. Stones come in different colours, including reds, yellows, blues and many other shades. You could combine black and white, for instance, or various tones of pink. Stones can warm up in the sunshine, so make sure your plants will thrive in the conditions. Rock also can edge your garden beds. You could place pavers along the border to contain the soil and mulch. Consider the rock you've used in other areas when selecting the edging pavers.
The benefit of including stone in your landscape supplies is that it's hardy and able to survive elements like rain, hail and sun without requiring much maintenance. Plus, you can introduce beautiful colours and textures to harmonise with the foliage, flowers, and trees. Stone can unify different garden areas and create a cohesive feel, especially if you maintain an overall viewpoint and choose harmonising colours. For more information, contact a landscape supplies company.
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