Laying out and designing a stone bed

The gravel or stone bed is often found in the entrance area to the house and should be with neighbors or others leaving a well-groomed impression to passing people and thus a positive overall picture of the entire garden throw.

Basics for designing a stone bed

When designing the stone or Gravel beds almost no limits. Depending on the size and position of the stone bed and the desired effect, different colored stones can be used to create patterns or entire lettering. In a very classic stone bed, only white decorative stones, such as e.g. B. ornamental chippings, ornamental gravel or even ornamental sand. However, every hobby gardener can decide for themselves and design their own personal stone bed according to their ideas regarding the size and color of the stones. Individual plants or even small bushes or trees can be placed between the stones, which contribute to a rounded overall picture of the bed.

For larger beds, the gardener can even incorporate pathways marked by stone tiles that will take them to specific plants integrated into the bed for watering. A sunny location should preferably be chosen for the stone bed so that the stones can dry quickly after a rain shower. It is a special eye-catcher when the bed is slightly sloping or runs over different levels. Significantly larger stones should be used to design the steps so that the transition looks aesthetic at the end. To stimulate the imagination, the hobby gardener can get a few ideas from well-known gardening magazines and combine them with his ideas.

Structure of the gravel bed

The area of ​​the ground that is to be used as a gravel bed in the future must first be loosened up a bit. If you live in an environment where the soil is loamy, you can be sure that the rainwater and irrigation water will drain away from the soil and there will be no waterlogging. If you are not sure about the condition of the soil or if it only has a low clay content, you should remove some of the top layer of soil. The horror of every stone bed is weeds.

If you make the effort and put a lot of work into a beautiful and well-tended bed, then you want to one also that this beautiful sight is not destroyed within a few months and the bed is overgrown with weeds rampant. Therefore, a special weed fleece is laid underneath the stones, which should completely curb the growth of unwanted green plants. Then the previously selected gravel, sand, split or stones are placed. It should already be clear at this point where which plants will be planted later, so that some space can be left in these places. Even if the hobby gardener has decided to lay a path over stone slabs through the bed, he should leave enough free space in the affected areas.

Suitable plants

All plants that get along well with clayey soil are suitable for planting in the stone bed. In addition, the plants should not have any problems with higher temperatures. Especially in summer, when temperatures well above 30 °C are reached and no rain falls for several days, the stones heat up, so that directly above the surface of the earth there is actually a slightly higher temperature reigns. Particularly popular and easy-care plants for designing a stone bed are, for example, alyssum, thistle, pansy, pasqueflower, but also roses or carnations. Stone beds are just as suitable for planting with Mediterranean herbs. Small seedlings should always be planted, as sowing with seeds is unlikely to be successful due to the weed fleece laid out.

Maintenance and cleaning of the stone bed

• Most of the cleaning work on the stone bed occurs in autumn in particular: fallen branches and leaves spoil the overall appearance of the bed and should be removed as quickly as possible.
• In phases in which it is cool and humid for a longer period of time, there is a risk that lichens and mosses form on the stones and the well-groomed impression is inevitably lost goes.
• Is the stone bed a manageable area and were rather larger pebbles used, the best way to get rid of moss infestation is to wipe off the stones one at a time or to sieve them off to the end
• In the case of repeated heavy moss formation, the stones can also be treated discreetly with a little weed killer.
• Otherwise, the care is relatively manageable: the rain washes off the stones, the sun then dries them again.

Further expansion to the rock garden

Once a hobby gardener has laid out a stone bed and had a lot of fun doing it, you can consider whether the individual stone bed should be integrated into an entire rock garden. The prerequisite for this is, of course, that the home garden provides the necessary space. A small green area bordered by the stone bed, which is adorned with a few bushes, also spices up the garden. You might even be able to create a small pond with a few fish. Or a narrow path is laid through the stone bed to a hut in the garden, which ideally has a barbecue area or a pizza oven. The beautiful garden is not only an eye-catcher for people walking by, but also offers one idyllic place where celebrations are held within the family or within the neighborhood can.

The stone bed is not exactly cheap to buy, but it is an easy-care alternative to designing the garden. Especially when you're very busy at work and don't have much time for gardening, you still have a beautiful garden in which you can feel comfortable.

Worth knowing about gravel and stone beds in brief

When landscaping, gravel can also serve as a transition zone between hard stone, brick, or concrete floors and plant beds. This gives the garden a soft and harmonious overall picture. Depending on taste and necessity, gravel areas and beds can also be bordered by borders, such as bricks or stones.

1. In order to create a gravel bed, the corresponding area is first laid out approx. Dig 10 cm deep.
2. Then about 6 cm of crushed stone or unwashed gravel is spread over the surface.
3. Finally, the top layer of round pebbles is filled.

Well compacted gravel is an optimal surface covering for garden paths, areas and beds. Natural stone walls are ideal for rock gardens and serve as a property boundary or demarcation between individual garden areas. There are numerous plants that feel extremely comfortable and thrive on stone or gravel beds. These include, for example:

• yucca palm,
• noble rhombus,
• nasturtium,
• pansy,
• horned violet,
• golden poppy,
• pennywort,
• kitchen herbs,
• shrub roses and cistus,
• low yew

To plant the stone and gravel beds, small holes are dug for the root ball. Then the hole is filled with fertile soil and the plant is inserted. The plants will soon spread naturally, creating a lush carpet of plants. Larger stones can also be used between individual plants, which, individually or in groups, complement the overall picture of the rock garden as a visual eye-catcher. If the gravel areas are not planted, spontaneous vegetation will develop after a while. In the semi-permeable layer of gravel, dusty soil collects, in which seeds of wild herbs and flowers settle. Spontaneous vegetation can also be very attractive. However, if the wild growth of plants and flowers is not desired, they can be easily removed with a hoe.

Tips for designing gravel and rock gardens

Planted gravel and stone beds and areas are particularly effective in the vicinity of buildings. Stones and gravel from the local region are recommended, as they usually complement existing elements such as property walls or buildings in an atmospheric way. Planting near the building should match the color and style of the house. Shrub roses and wild roses fit particularly well into natural, rural gardens. Its lush growth flatters every passageway, trellis and entrance area. Shrub roses also fit harmoniously into perennial and flower beds.

Learn more about garden planning