There are very real benefits to having stones in your garden. For instance, instead of being just decorative, stones prevent weeds from growing and can serve structural purposes.
There is, however, a lot to consider when you’re looking at stones for gardening. Your yard has unique needs and you have your own preferences, so you’re going to need a little help finding the right stones for your landscape.
Finding the Right Stones for Gardening
You have to consider a number of factors when you’re putting new stones into your garden. While it may seem like you can just pick a stone, put it in, and forget about it, there are actually consequences to picking the wrong material.
What Is the Landscape?
Are your stones going to be laying flat or will they be on an incline? Are the stones going to be directly next to your plants? Do you experience a lot of heavy rain?
If you live in an area where heavy rain is a normal thing, you’ll want to choose your gardening stones carefully. Smaller stones are easily shifted and moved in terrains where heavy rain is normal. This can cause serious problems to the structure of your garden and soil.
This problem is accelerated when the rocks are situated on an incline. This is something to consider seriously when you’re buying stones.
If your rocks are used as mulch and are directly next to your plants, they are going to absorb a lot of the sun’s heat. While this isn’t a problem when the rocks are isolated, rocks can radiate and reflect heat onto your plants and dry them out. This can seriously damage the quality of your garden.
Other Considerations
You will need to consider the general feeling that you are going for in your garden. Once you’ve found a material that suits your needs, you’ll also need to choose the size and color of the stones you want.
Size
Smaller rocks are more suited toward smaller gardens, patches of shrub, and areas that are situated away from your home. Medium-sized stones are more common and serve as a great option for those looking to fill their gardens.
Larger stones are nothing to rule out, though. A large-stoned garden is typically found in areas that have larger plants and decorations.
Color
It’s no secret that the color of something can change its mood. This is no different when it comes to garden stones. When it comes to color:
- It seems that grey, blue, and red are the most common options for people choosing stones.
- Blue gives a calming feeling, grey is known to be pretty neutral, and red gives more of a lively atmosphere.
Before you decide, remember to explore different colors and choose colors that will make your garden have a unique feel of its own.
Looking into Gardening?
If you’re just starting out on your path to having an excellent garden, there’s still a lot to learn. It’s not just about picking the right stones for gardening. There’s also the landscape design to consider, the winter maintenance, and more.
For more information on gardening, be sure to continue exploring our blog. And, of course, if you’d like professional landscaping help in the Milwaukee or Waukesha areas, contact us for an appointment or estimate.
