How To Choose Landscape Gravel

Gravel is an extremely versatile material to use in your landscaping. It can be both decorative and functional, can be used for paths, flower beds, and around water features, and you can easily move or remove it if you want to add a new feature to your garden or alter its design.

If you’re looking to add landscape gravel to your garden, here are a few popular choices and some tips on how to choose the right kind.

Pea gravel

Pea gravel is an attractive choice, made up of small, smooth, multi-colored stones. People often choose it as a decorative material, around flower beds or stone features, for example. It can also be an effective mulching material.

However, pea gravel may not be the best choice for pathways. It doesn’t compact, so small fragments are likely to spread around your garden as you walk across it. This also means the gravel doesn’t provide a solid surface to walk across, making it difficult for wheelchair users.

Chipped rock

Chipped rock is great for adding texture to your landscape because it is not smooth like pea gravel. Chipped rock literally comes from larger rocks that have been chipped into smaller pieces, meaning they have rough edges and less uniform appearance. Chipped or crushed rock is also available in different colors.

Chipped rock is a better choice for pathways than pea gravel, but it still doesn’t compact completely to create the ideal walking surface. It is a great feature for around flower beds and potted plants.

¼” minus

This type of gravel is made up of small stone pieces that are ¼” or smaller. They even include fine particles like sand. This helps the gravel to compact better, making it ideal for pathways and patios. Even wheelchairs, wheelbarrows, and high heels can navigate ¼” minus gravel with few problems.

This type of gravel allows water through but is good at suppressing weeds, so it also serves well in flower beds. When laying a path with this kind of gravel, be wary about tracking it inside on your shoes as it can damage hardwood floors.

Decomposed granite

This is a similar material to ¼” minus, but is formed from weathered granite. It has a similar structure of small stones and finer particles, making it a good pathway gravel. But, again, it can scratch hardwood floors when tracked in underfoot. The main difference between decomposed granite and 1/4” is the price, as granite tends to be a more expensive material.

If you need landscape gravel or any other landscape supplies, then we have lots of options online at Stratford Landscape Supply. You can also contact us for more advice or for landscaping services in North Carolina, around Winston Salem, Greensboro, High Point, and Kernersville.