10 Ways to Put Gravel to Work in Your Garden

What is Gravel?

Gravel is an affordable material that is very functional.

It can be used to make roads, paths and even gardens. You can mostly find it for outdoor spaces.

Check the 10 ways of how you can put gravel in your landscape.

1. Walkways

Gravel is always good for a walkway. This type of material makes construction simple and also contributes to quick drainage.

What is the best gravel for walkways?

Pea Gravel Slightly rounded and as the name implies, about the size of peas, pea gravel is a long-lasting solution for paths and walkways.

2. Mixed With Flagstone

Why is gravel the best choice for your your flagstone patio’s foundation?

Cement will probably crack and the gravel base is flexible and will move ever so slightly during freeze-thaw. If gravel is used, bed the flagstone on a compacted decomposed granite base and use the gravel of choice in the joints.

3. Patios

Gravel is highly permeable, which helps with water drainage. This material is perfect for permeable surfaces. Rainwater can drain through the stones. And at the same time, you will have a very good looking patio.

4. Water Features

Gravel mixed with stones is useful for covering the base of recirculating fountains, filling the bottoms of ponds and lining dry stream beds.

5. Mulch for Beds

Gravel mulch suppresses weeds and gives a finished look to planting beds.

In garden beds, use gravel as a top-dressing as you would use a bark mulch. After planting, spread a 1-inch layer of gravel over the soil’s surface, keeping small circles around the bases of trees and shrubs gravel-free. Don’t pile on the gravel much thicker, or you can cause soil compaction.

6. Permeable Driveways

Gravel driveways are considered impervious because they prevent infiltration, which results in rainwater flowing off these surfaces at a higher rate than pervious surfaces.

As long as it’s properly installed on a firm foundation of compacted base rock and geotextile fabric, gravel can easily support wheel traffic from cars and act as a solid surface for a driveway.

7. Drainage Solutions

Depending on how they are used, gravel trenches can help move, direct or drain water. French drains, for example, help move excess water away from the home or saturated beds.

If you need to drain water in your yard, you can dig a hole where the water is accumulating and fill it with stones designed for drainage. Under a downspout works well.

8. Edible Gardens

Chunky gravels that are over three-quarters-inch wide are useful for surrounding raised beds and are less apt to travel if you roll a wheelbarrow over the surface.

9. Fire Pits

Gravel is a material that can be used on an outdoor fire pit. This is less expensive than pavers or flagstone. Gravel works as a safe surface for a start spark to land on. If your fire pit is constructed with stone, choose gravel in a color that matches or complements it.

10. Erosion Control

Gravel is another common ingredient in erosion prevention measures.

Gravel spread on sloped walkways or used as a mulch on hilly beds can help prevent soil erosion. While all gravel will help to some degree, crushed gravels have more angular edges and are better at catching particles of soil and holding them in place in the presence of running water.

If you are still unsure about how is the best way to use gravel in your landscape, give our team of landscapers in Vancouver a call to ask for a landscape design that incorporates gravel.