Crushed rock help connect different region of the yard into a cohesive , calm design that ’s also low - upkeep .
One of landscape painting designer Margie Grace ’s best-loved materials is so humble it seldom receive a second thought . " I love crushed rock , " she says . " It feels so timeless and gross , and you love the soil is breathing beneath it . " In the yard around her and partner Dawn Close ’s ranch house in Montecito , California , gravel is thefoundation of the design . By unite the material withairy grassesand perennial , Grace create a distance that ’s soft , surprisingly easy - looking , and drouth - tolerant . " I really , really want to crack the nut on water , " Grace read . ( Though her area gets picayune rain class - round , drouth conditions can occur anywherein the country . ) " I wantedsuper - down water use but a lush flavour . "
Holly Lepere
Credit:Holly Lepere
Grace also wanted to find a way to carve the backyard , which was an expanse of drought - dead grass when she moved in , into different garden rooms . Now , crushed rock path and barefoot - friendly concrete paverswind among the matured oak Tree , gently wave pasturage , and morphologic succulent todistinct seating room and dining areas . A stone terrace around the house help keep gravel from being tracked within .
Even though seemliness uses fewer plants than many designers might ( " A way touse less wateris to use less flora fabric , " she tell ) , she appreciates the picky charms of each one , like thegolden Gunter Wilhelm Grass . " Right around 5 o’clock there ’s a beam of light that comes through the come head , and it ’s frickin ' magic trick , " she say . " The show is over in seven min , but it ’s deserving organizing your day around . "
The absolute majority of Grace ’s garden swear on leaf , but she engraft a handful ofwater - smart efflorescence for color . She peculiarly likes bright orangeCalifornia poppy , which reseed themselves each class , desegregate with fern leaflavender . ( Get a similar look with other gardenpoppiessuited to your grow zone . )
The Dirt on Gravel
Gravel is a versatile element that accommodate a broad kind of garden style : sleekly contemporary , casual and favorable , orVersailles - level evening gown . The stuff visually connects different surface area in the yard and serve as comfort disconfirming place . Practically , it can be used for a driveway , a walkway , or as mulch , planted ( as Grace does ) with unthirsty grasses . It ’s flexible , not particularly expensive , and lesspermanent than concrete .
1. Choose Harmonious Colors
Gravel come in a range of semblance , including tawny browns and nerveless grays . When opt gravel , Grace bring all the material she plans to use tomake indisputable the colors harmonize . " I get a glob of thepaving stoneI’m pass away to use into the back of the car , " she says . She recommends crushed gravel for driveways but great rocks , at least 3/8 in , for areas that will have leaves blown off them .
2. Install Securely
free grace habituate gravel like a shot on soil , although gardener in rainier part should expend a base layer of landscape material to keep the gravel out of the mud . Prepare the grime by leveling and firming it . A 1/2- to 1 - in - thick layer of crushed rock is plenty . If you may make discrete footprint , it ’s too deep . Where people willwalk in simple invertebrate foot , use smooth concrete or stone pavers .
3. Maintain the Surface
Although it ’s aneffective mulch , weed can still take ancestor in gravel . About once a month , Graceuses a stirrup hoeto dispense with them while they ’re new — before they go to germ . episodic rake keeps gravel looking dandy , andleaf - blow a few multiplication a seasonclears fallen leaves . Every few years , refill situation that wait thin and get a lot of traffic .
Credit:Holly Lepere
