We meet each new summer season with new ideas and new plans. And at the same time we want to get the maximum result with a minimum of opportunities. For example, on the territory of a summer cottage, a flower bed is an indispensable decoration. And we take up the work with zeal and desire. But what about weeds? There is a solution - these are gravel flower beds that combine bright flowers and multi-colored (or plain) decorative gravel around them. In addition, our flower bed can be of any shape and color!
Advantages of the new material
Pebbles are formed during the decomposition of rocks, and run in water (sea, river, stream). Round stones contain impurities, on which their strength depends. They are crushed industrially and the sizes are selected depending on the purpose of application: decorative or construction. Various sizes can be used, ranging from 1-3mm. and ending with 40-70mm .. Usually, for greater expressiveness, both for the flower bed and for the garden, decorative gravel of different sizes is selected. But for the path they use small stones: the smaller, the more convenient it is to walk on them.
- This is a cheap and environmentally friendly material that has a number of indisputable advantages:
- Closing the soil layer, it does not interfere with air exchange, so the root system does not suffer.
- Rubble is beautiful and looks good in any weather.
- Does not require special skill in application.
- You can decorate any unsightly part of the garden or flower garden.
- Good in compositions, for example, with moss, glass, metal, wood.
We try to keep up with the times, using new, unusual forms of garden design. The use of crushed stone and gravel in landscape architecture is becoming more and more popular.
How to use decorative gravel?
There are no problem areas in the garden now: empty and useless, swampy, shaded. We close them with rubble, and not necessarily the same size, you can add medium and large stones. And small colored gravel will give an unusual look to the paths branching among the trees in the garden. Here you need a layer of 5-8 cm.
Without it, it is impossible to create an alpine slide. Without stones and gravel, the hill will “lose” its external color and will look uninteresting. And the closed space between the plants makes the slide an element close to natural conditions. The bottom of the decorative reservoir, decorated with blue gravel, will give it a special, slightly fabulous look. You can bring large boulders that will protrude from the water.
If you want to create a Japanese style garden, no problem. Stone is an important part of Japanese design. There are "gardens of the void", completely lined with stone. Large stones are scattered without a special system, depicting islands and mountains, and the ground is covered with small gravel. The "rock garden" also needs care, but it is special.
Colored natural stone is indispensable in complex landscape compositions, and, of course, in flower beds. Here it is laid out in a layer of 2-4 cm. Decorative gravel does not require constant care, and the space filled with it remains clean and looks aesthetically pleasing. In addition, dyes do not lose their juiciness and brightness for a long time, they are harmless to the environment and its inhabitants. Therefore, after cleaning it, the site can be used by planting any plants on it.
Crushed stone can be painted by yourself
You can choose the color you are interested in. Acrylic and alkyd paints, paint spray enamel in a can are used.
- First, the stones must be washed well.
- Paint on one side and wait for complete drying.
- Paint on the other side and also wait until the paint dries.
- You do not need to apply a thick layer of paint, but if the rubble is not bright, then the process will have to be repeated.
This method is suitable for painting a small number of stones. If you need to paint a lot of pebbles, then you need to pour it into a large container, and pour the paint on top and mix it properly (you can use a concrete mixer for this purpose).
Decorating with streamlined pebbles
Of course, rubble in a flower bed looks unusual, but why not try streamlined pebbles? Then we need a large container, cement and paint. We do everything in stages:
- Pour a third of the rubble into the container, add paint, mix thoroughly.
- Then pour water into the rubble, twice as much in volume as paint.
- Add cement (determine the amount yourself), mix everything. Then pour out the remaining pebbles and mix everything again.
- Stones completely stained with cement are laid on a mesh or polyethylene until completely dry. When the process is completed, it can be seen that the stones have become more streamlined and well painted over. You can use them in the same way as decorative gravel.
Creating a flower bed using crushed stone (complicated version)
Let's try to create a new generation flower bed using modern technologies. In our work, we will need 2 types of geotextile mulching fabric, devices for fixing it, a special membrane from weeds, containers for planting flowers, decorative crushed stone of various colors and sizes.
We must prepare a place for a flower bed: give it the desired shape, build a fence, making a margin for height. It depends on the gravel layers and the height of the landing containers. Then you need to lay out the first layer of the canvas as a protection against the remaining weeds and their seeds. It is cut and laid as a continuous coating or overlapped (up to 10 cm), fixed with needle decomposable clamps. When fixing the canvas at the fence, metal clamps are used.
Holes are cut out in the coating and recesses are dug for soft containers of the required shape. Subsequently, they are filled with soil and plants are planted in them. They will separate the vegetation zone from the gravel layer and protect the roots from pests. You can begin to fill up the first layer of gravel, the thickness of which is 2/3 of the thickness of the fence. Its main role is drainage and drainage of rainwater. If a flower bed is planned at the foundation of the house, then a gravel groove is created to drain water.
The second layer of garden geotextile will serve as a filter between the gravel layer below and the decorative rubble on top. A decorative layer of rubble is poured on it. It is desirable to wash both gravel and crushed stone. Geotextiles should not be visible, so we use crushed stone of different colors and sizes. Everything is ready: you can fantasize and create your own unique drawing of the composition.
Creating a flower bed with crushed stone (simple option)
This method is simple and does not require special skills. All you need is free time and a desire to experiment. The flower bed is already ready and a variety of flowers or flower arrangements grow on it. It is necessary to remove weeds, take a bedding of crushed stone of a certain or neutral color and fill the space around the flowers. A layer of crushed stone is laid 2-3 cm. There should be no gaps in the ground. And as a final chord - the creation of a homemade border or purchased in a store.
But this method also has its downsides. Crushed stone eventually mixes with the ground and does not look so beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. Then you have to slightly renew the flower bed. At the end of the season, rubble can be collected, washed and reused the following year.
Modern garden: minimum costs and maximum decorative effect
Advantages of gardens using crushed stone and gravel:
- The area planted with plants and in need of care depends on the desire of the owners.
- Compositions and sizes are also selected individually: you can ennoble any corner of the existing site.
- You can create a garden using gravel and rubble yourself, since the creation technology is quite simple.
- To create such a garden requires a minimum of financial costs.
- Plants mulched with flower gravel will look decorative almost anywhere in the garden.
- There is no need for constant loosening and watering, which makes gardening less labor intensive.
The best for a rocky garden is an area with light sandy soil. The site is backfilled, the sod is removed in a 20 cm layer of soil, carefully digging and removing the roots and rhizomes. The site is moistened and left for 10 days for the germination of the remaining roots.
Dig up the site with the addition of baking powder, draining the soil.
The soil is compacted and covered with geotextiles. Sheets must be joined to each other. The area is covered with crushed stone 5-10 cm thick, in which holes are dug, filling them with earth and planting plants. In landscape design, stone chips, crushed stone of several colors, sea pebbles, and shells are used. In this case, select the desired color and size.
Planting plants in the flower bed and in the garden
First, a design project for plant placement is created. Shrubs are planted in the designated areas. When they take root, you can plant carpet plants and perennials. Daylilies are best planted in clusters. Single landings do not look so advantageous, they lie down from rain and wind. At the end, seeds of annual and biennial crops are sown, which are subsequently renewed by self-sowing. Annuals are sown in early spring, and biennials in June, which guarantees flowering the next year.
The varieties chosen for a garden with gravel and gravel should be drought-resistant and at the same time be decorative. It is necessary to pay attention to the biological characteristics of plants, to the cycle of their development, so as not to create additional difficulties for yourself later.
Magonia holly during the year draws attention to itself with shiny dark green leaves, yellowish flowers and gray berries. Varieties of the host decorate the site with wide leaves. They may not be transplanted for several years. Irises, daylilies, ferns are also unpretentious. Plants with silvery leaves look beautiful on rubble: gray fescue, chistets, wormwood, lavender, cineraria, carnation. Among shrubs, cotoneaster and gorse are more often grown, among cereals - blue fescue.
The uniqueness of the new material
Despite the simplicity and availability of decorative gravel, any flower bed will become unusual and a little fantastic if the flowers are surrounded by light gravel. It is this background that emphasizes different colors. Colors may be different, there is always the opportunity to experiment. Flowerbeds, paths, garden paths will be practical and original. Rubble next to the pool and fountain - and you are on the beach. Decorative crushed stone allows the designer to implement the most daring projects that can be admired again and again.
If you are still wondering whether it is worth trying to create a flower bed using decorative gravel, then think about which is better:
- Weeding all season long.
- See withering plants that, without mulching material, need frequent watering.
- Constantly spent extra on organic fertilizers and seeds, or just pour a bucket of rubble.
Think and create your own unique flower plot using decorative gravel.
Dumps are various coatings of small stones, artificial materials. They are used to create patios, paths, "dry landscape" (in the Japanese garden), decorating flower beds.
The method of using dumping, otherwise called mulching, is useful for plants in that it helps to get rid of weeds, reduces soil temperature fluctuations during the day, reduces the evaporation of moisture from the soil, and prevents the formation of a crust on its surface. Many types of dumps (of organic origin) enrich the soil with useful substances, some of the dumps can even repel plant pests, for example, needles and sharp stones repel slugs.
Dumps from organic matter
Pine bark is the most commonly used mulching material. Its advantage is that it is environmentally friendly, does not lose its decorative properties for a long time and does not rot.
Also, cedar husks and wood chips, painted in different colors, are used for backfilling. Dumps from these materials are used for paving secondary garden paths, the soil surface in a mixborder. Organic bedding in mixborders should be laid at some distance from the plants. The backfill layer should be approximately 5-8 cm. A layer of geotextile is first laid on the weeded and loosened soil, and then a layer of mulch is poured. The dumping area is fenced off with a curb tape so that it does not spread.
Dumps from inorganic materials
The most popular of inorganic dumps is gravel dumping, consisting of crushed granite gravel of various fractions or sea (river) pebbles. This type of backfill goes well with plants and paving. The advantage of gravel dumping is that it is environmentally friendly, but there are also some disadvantages: weeds grow through it, it is difficult to clear snow in winter, fine gravel clogs the territory. To prevent weeds from sprouting through the backfill, it is necessary to lay geotextiles or polyethylene film with holes under it. To prevent gravel from scattering over the site, the edges of the dump can be strengthened with a curb stone.
With the help of gravel backfill, you can create various patterns using multi-colored gravel. The effect of movement can be achieved using smooth contours and curls.
Using artificial pebbles for backfilling, you can imitate rare rocks: serpentine or colored marble.
Other types of dumps
An alternative to the common types of dumping is colored glass, which will help to make an original composition in the garden. Colored bottle caps can also be used, especially for decorative filling around plants in raised beds.
In addition, they are used for backfilling: expanded clay, natural and artificial stone, plastic, sand.
Decorative backfill | Near the househttp://website/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/311_1-220x150.jpghttp://website/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/311_1-220x150-150x150.jpg 2019-01-04T20:18:28+00:00 Near the house Flower beds and lawns Backfills, coatingsDumps are various coatings of small stones, artificial materials. They are used to create patios, paths, a “dry landscape” (in a Japanese garden), and flower beds. reduces the evaporation of moisture from the soil, ...Near the houseGravel dumps in the garden, in the country, what are they for? Many summer residents, while arranging their site, make the green lawn the central element of the landscape composition. But, in order for this lawn to really become a decoration of the dacha, and not turn into a wild field, it is necessary to take care of it regularly - remove weeds, fertilize, water and mow.
If you think that doing these works is an extra burden for yourself, you can fill all the free places with gravel dumps instead of grass. Thus, the composition in the form of gravel dumps can perfectly replace the lawn, becoming a great alternative to it.
Gravel is a very interesting material with a peculiar texture. It is able to replace grass not only from a practical point of view, but also from an aesthetic one.
The material is inexpensive, very easy to fit, grain size from 5 mm. Depending on the rock, it can be of different colors, shapes and strengths.
When choosing gravel, special attention is paid to the color of the pebbles. It comes in white, reddish brown, all shades of gray and even pinkish beige. Skillfully combining the color of gravel, you can get unexpected effects that radically change the appearance of the site.
Dumping will replace not only a small grassy lawn, they will complement the alpine hill, rockeries and even the blind area.
If you skillfully combine plants and gravel, you get an excellent flower bed for ultra-easy care. But the most important advantage of gravel dumps is their strength, resistance to atmospheric phenomena, and environmental friendliness.
How to create a gravel bed
The technology of gravel backfilling is so simple that even a novice summer resident can create it.
Before starting work, it is necessary to determine the place of the future gravel in the garden.
If you plan to use several colors of gravel, it is best to develop the composition first on a piece of paper in several versions. The composition that you liked the most, we will bring to life.
For work you will need the following materials and tools:
curbs (stone, wood, plastic, concrete);
agrotextile or thick polyethylene film;
sand;
decorative gravel;
shovel;
lace, pegs;
Sequence of work
1. With the help of a lace and pegs, we mark the part of the site that is reserved for backfilling.
2. We remove the soil with a shovel to a depth of 10-15 cm.
3. We fill the entire area with a layer of sand 3-5 cm thick.
4. We lay the insulating material - agrofiber or polyethylene. The insulating material will prevent the germination of weeds. If you decide to use polyethylene, you need to make small holes in it through which water will leave.
5. We lay a border around the perimeter of the entire site. It will hold clear contours of the backfill, preventing the gravel from crumbling in different directions.
6. We lay a layer of decorative gravel 2-4 cm thick, following the scheme.
Caring for gravel fills is quite simple - it is enough to remove fallen leaves and sprouted weeds.
The leaves are best removed with a garden vacuum cleaner, preventing them from “leaking” between the stones. Otherwise, rotten leaves can become an excellent breeding ground for weeds.
Over time, of course, weeds will attempt to settle in the gravel bed. We remove them mechanically or apply a concentrated solution of a broad-spectrum herbicide.
Decorative dumping is called bulk materials of various fractions used for decorative soil mulching. It can be stone chips, large and small gravel, pebbles, shells, sand, wood chips (including painted), bark, pine nut shells, as well as artificial decorative “pebbles” made of glass or plastic.
The use of various decorative dumps in the landscape design of the site can completely transform the appearance of your property. A number of decorative compositions - a Japanese "dry" landscape, a rock garden or rockery, a sandy garden, a landscape pond - are almost unthinkable without some kind of dumping.
In addition, they can be used to create paths and patios, and for decorating flower beds, and for many other purposes. Mulching the soil under the plants protects it from excessive evaporation of moisture.
And using colored decorative chips in the garden, multi-colored glass, filling with crushed stone of various fractions and shades, you can achieve completely unusual effects.
organic dumps
Among the organic decorative dumps, the most popular are pine bark, cedar husks and wood (including painted) chips.
The advantages of pine bark include, first of all, a long service life: it does not rot for a long time (especially large fractions), does not burn out. In addition, such decorative filling is an environmentally friendly material that naturally fits into landscape compositions.
Cedar husks and wood chips are dyed in different colors and thus provide a wide field for experimenting with color in the garden. Staining of decorative wood chips is made with eco-friendly paints.
Of course, brightly colored wood chips should be used with caution in the garden: both the color of the mulch and the composition as a whole should be consistent with the environment. Excessively bright colors of colored decorative chips, for example, are out of place in landscape compositions.
But a variety of colors will allow you to create unusual colored soft paths or a colorful coating for a playground.
The disadvantages of the material include its relative lightness, due to which the filling can be carried by the wind.
An undoubted common plus of all organic dumping is their cheapness. These materials are inexpensive in themselves, and some of them (bark, wood chips) are by-products of woodworking industries.
The main disadvantage is a relatively short service life (compared to inorganic dumping).
Using decorative fillings of organic origin in flower beds, tree trunks, etc. - wherever they are laid directly on the ground - it should be borne in mind that the lower layer of mulch that rots over time changes the composition of the soil on which it lies.
Most organic fills acidify the soil. For some plants, this property of dumping can also be an advantage - for example, for lovers of acidic soils such as rhododendrons.
When laying the dump directly on the ground, it is advisable to add a certain amount of material annually - this will, firstly, preserve the appearance (colored chips may fade over time, the color becomes dimmer), and secondly, it compensates for the rotting of the lower layer.
inorganic deposits
Inorganic dumping includes crushed stone, gravel of various fractions, pebbles (river and sea), sands. Alternative types of dumping include materials of artificial origin - colored glass and plastic (multi-colored decorative "pebbles").
Gravel is a natural stone of small fractions of various shapes (both smooth and sharp-angled stones can come across). Gravel filling is used to decorate secondary garden paths, patios, and driveways.
Crushed stone is crushed stone chips, usually with uneven, sharp edges and corners. Crushed stone is made from stones of various breeds (it can be marble, shale, sandstone, granite, limestone), and, accordingly, can be of a wide variety of colors.
A pebble is a small smooth natural stone with rounded outlines. Sea pebbles with multi-colored pebbles are especially beautiful.
Sand is decorative dumping of the smallest fractions. Usually, the smallest fractions of one rock (quartz, marble) or small crumbs of mollusk shells (sea sand) are used.
The advantages of inorganic (natural) deposits are primarily in the long service life. Gravel filling does not burn out, does not crumble, does not change its appearance.
Stone dumps practically do not demand leaving. In addition, graveling prevents the soil from overheating and does not retain water.
One of the main disadvantages of such backfills is that it is quite difficult to remove accumulated debris from them (primarily tree litter), so it is better to place crushed stone paths and compositions with gravel backfilling away from trees.
Over time (over several seasons), inorganic dumps can become silted up, sand, soil particles and seeds can get into them. As a result, weeds appear on the covered surface (even on top of the geotextile).
However, they fall out quite easily. You can also use chemical herbicides (Roundup, Tornado, Hurricane, etc.).
Use of dumps in the garden
The most widespread decorative dumping received in the design of paths and patios. However, they can also be used as a decorative mulch in flowerbeds, as a low-maintenance alternative to lawns, and for decorating tree trunks.
To create paths, all types of decorative fillings (including organic ones) can be used. To form such a path, a shallow pit is dug, geotextiles are laid (to prevent weeds from sprouting from the soil), after which the backfill is poured.
The optimal layer is about 7-10 centimeters. So that the path does not “spread”, you can strengthen its edges - for example, lay them out with a stone of a larger fraction.
Using the same technology, large free spaces can also be decorated with backfill (as an alternative to a lawn or, for example, as an element of a Japanese dry garden). By combining dumping of different colors and fractions, you can achieve interesting effects.
To diversify the composition, you can add one or two expressive green plants to it. To do this, a crosswise incision is made in the geotextile, a plant is planted in the resulting hole.
In addition, dumping can also be used as elements of various decorative compositions - for example, to create "stone screes" on alpine hills, in rockeries, on the shore of a reservoir.
Sometimes dumping can serve to emphasize and highlight certain specific plants. In this case, it is a good idea to choose a backfill that contrasts in color with the foliage of the plant.
Decorative mulching with organic materials can also be an excellent option when establishing a garden and planting perennials. As you know, the first or second years after planting are traditionally losing for most perennials.
If you plant them at a distance that is optimal for their further growth and development, bare ground will inevitably remain between the flowers, which most gardeners do not like so much.
However, if you decorate these spaces, for example, with wood chips, then the “voids” will look like part of the design idea, and the garden as a whole will take on a complete look.
Ornamental plants are undoubtedly the main decoration of the garden, but there are also other materials that can be used to decorate the landscape.
These are various stones, fences, small architectural forms, as well as decorative dumping, which has become increasingly popular in recent years.
Its properties are so diverse that there are many ways to use it in the garden.
A variety of types, materials, colors can confuse you when choosing a backfill. Therefore, we will consider in this article all the main points on its selection and use in landscape design.
Characteristics of the main types
Decorative dumping, represented by bulk materials, is used for soil mulching for various purposes. All types are divided into organic and inorganic dumps.
Among the most popular organic ones are the following:
- pine bark. It is very durable, does not rot for a long time, does not fade in the sun, and is also environmentally friendly and safe for humans and the environment. In landscape design it will look natural and harmonious.
- Wood decorative chips, cedar husk. They can be painted in any color (done using eco-friendly paint), so you get a wide palette of colors for experimenting in the garden, but do not overdo it, everything should look harmonious and beautiful. For example, bright saturated colors are inappropriate for a landscape style, but they are perfect for paths and playgrounds.
However, there are also disadvantages of such dumping.- they are light, can be carried by the wind, and also have a short service life compared to inorganic materials. But the disadvantages are replaced by the main advantage - cheapness.
Everyone can afford to buy wood chips, since they are mainly a waste product of the woodworking industry.
It is necessary to use organic dumping with caution, since they are laid immediately on the ground and over time, the lower layer, rotting, can change the acid-base environment of the soil (mostly acidify) and its composition. However, for some plants this is a favorable factor, for example for rhododendrons.
If, nevertheless, you opted for this type of dumping, then it is advisable to add it annually to update the appearance and compensate for the rotted bottom layer.
Inorganic deposits are divided by origin into natural and artificial.
In the first case, the most popular are the following:
- decorative gravel- represented by stones of various shapes of fine fraction, used to form the road surface, driveways, etc.;
- rubble- obtained by crushing a stone of various breeds (marble, granite, slate, limestone, etc.), it looks like a crumb with sharp edges, corners, as well as different colors;
- pebble- has a rounded shape, a smooth small stone, the most popular is sea pebbles, which, in combination with colored pebbles, gives a beautiful effect;
- sand- a very fine fraction, sand from marble, quartz, shells, etc. is used in landscape design.
The advantages of these dumps are their durability, they do not crumble and do not fade, they retain their original appearance for a long time. In addition, they are easy to care for, as well as organic natural dumps keep the soil from excessive heating and do not interfere with water and air exchange.
Of the minuses, they note the difficulty of cleaning debris from their surface, so it is better to use them away from trees. After a couple of seasons, when dust, seeds, soil particles get into them, the dumps become silted and weeds may appear, but they can be easily weeded out or treated with herbicides.
From inorganic deposits of artificial origin, plastic, colored glass are isolated. They are laid on a pre-prepared base made of geotextiles, films, as well as dumping of natural origin.
Application in the garden
Decorative dumping is very popular and widely used in landscape design. With its help, you can significantly transform the site, supplement any composition of plants, and using it you can create a Japanese garden (“dry”), an alpine slide, a sandy garden, (without water, from coarse gravel).
Filling is widely used to create paths, patios, and also as mulch, for decorating tree trunks or as a replacement for a lawn.
Path from decorative backfill can be done by hand fairly quickly. To do this, it is necessary to dig a pit (shallow, 10-15 cm), cover it with geotextiles and pour backfill (7-10 cm).
It is better to strengthen the edges of the path with a stone or a special garden border. By the same principle, you can make any elements of the composition, combining with plants that are planted in a slot in geotextiles, and a lawn.
As an element of decor, you can use decorative dumping when creating stone screes on an alpine hill, in rockeries, when decorating the shore of a reservoir. In order to emphasize a certain plant, a filling is chosen that is contrasting in color.
Organic materials as mulch are a great solution for planting perennials. The backfill will fill the free space until the plants grow and cover the bare soil. It will also help retain moisture in the soil.
For 1 sq. m usually need about 50-100 kg of gravel, and wood chips or bark are half as much.
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