Add Fire Pit And Benches
A pea gravel patio is perfect for a fire pit! I bought a propane fire pit, which doesn’t produce embers that could accidentally catch the nearby trees or deck on fire. It starts up with the push of a button, and doesn’t create obnoxious smoke that stings your eyes and seeps into your clothing!
Curved benches fit perfectly around the circular fire pit, and sink into the gravel for more stability.
Which Materials Work Best For Garden Edging
Before;deciding what material and style of garden edging to go for,;think about the;overall outdoor look you wish to achieve. It needs to reflect the existing style, so consider what would work with your planting themes, colour choices, garden furniture and general ambience.
For example, off-cut logs and rustic willow are nice options for traditional country gardens and work particularly well as;lawn edging and path edging.;Alternatively, try combining;concrete slabs and railway sleepers;for a cool, industrial feel.
Image credit: Amateur Gardening
Going Crazy With Pavers And Bricks
The materials you choose for your patio is just as important as the shape you decide on. Swoops and curves along with matching rock walls make this porch unique and truly beautiful. Note how the homeowner has created multiple layers and has carried the curved design throughout the entire deck. The low walls offer plenty of space for potted plants.
Recommended Reading: Wood Deck Box Plans
Dig Out The Path’s Shape
Start by marking the location and shape of your path with a garden hose, length of rope or spray paint. If using spray paint, buy line-marking paint, which allows you to easily spray lines while holding the can upside down.
Using a square-edged spade, remove the soil within that border to a depth of 4 inches.
Plant Slopes With Care
Take a sloped yard from structural to stunning with plants and rocks made to withstand erosion. A common and simple way to landscape a slope is by filling it with a single plant type. This method is effective, if uninspired. For a bit more interest, consider blending a mix of foliage colors and textures, growth habits and even adding in non-plant elements like boulders. Planting a diverse selection is not just nice to look at, but also hedges against disease or insect problems which could be a disaster in a monoculture. Grab our top tips for landscaping on an angle, below.
Read Also: How To Keep Patio Cushions From Blowing Away
How To Prevent Soil Erosion Around A Patio
Patios dont tend to drain well, instead producing runoff and, therefore, sometimes posing a significant soil erosion problem in home landscapes. If your patio causes erosion, then taking several steps can keep soil around it in place. Walls, terraces, plant roots, mulch and minimal irrigation all can help reduce soil erosion.
A Private Little Hideaway
There is nothing quite like having a sloped area of your garden that can be used to create a quiet little hideaway complete with firepit, table, and chairs. The natural rock wall behind is a good way to keep the soil behind it from eroding away. Surrounding the area with flowers just adds to the natural beauty of the area.
Recommended Reading: Paver Walkway On A Slope
Plant For Four Seasons
Its tempting when visiting a nursery to focus on the in-season foliage. However, with a little pre-planning, you can maintain a stunning four-season landscape display. To engineer a year-round blooming sequence, go for a mix of spring bloomers, summer stunners, and fall follow-ups. If you enjoy your deck during the winter months, a few potted or planted evergreens will keep you in color as you gather around the fire. Follow the link below for year-round color planting ideas.
Why Add Landscape Edging To A Garden
- Aesthetically, they keep the garden neat and tidy.
- Also referred to as a mowing border or mowing strip, flat landscape edging creates a nice boundary between grass and garden. A flat border will allow a lawnmower to cut the grass at the edges, meaning you can eliminate the step of using a string trimmer.
- Garden borders separate your garden into rooms.
- Edging materials can prevent plants from creeping into another area of a garden or a pathway.
- You dont have to go along the garden with an edger every year .
- A garden border keeps pathways clearly defined, and if paths are filled with pea gravel or mulch, it keeps the material where it should be and out of the garden.
- It can keep people out of a certain part of the garden, too, if necessary.
- Edging can define a small area, such as where a tree is planted, or a special plant.
You May Like: How Many Bags Of Concrete For Patio
Considering The Cons: Snap
Snap-Edge requires some additional tools, a hand saw or some type of cutters to snip the material in order to bend it to shape. It also typically costs more than concrete per linear foot.;
Concrete edging requires a wheel barrel, shovel, water and bags of concrete mix. Concrete must be mixed on site, given time to cure once installed, and any excess concrete must be properly disposed of. Concrete also requires a more labor-intensive process to install and is more labor-intensive to remove if that ever needs to happen.
Wood Edged Raised Beds
The edges around these raised garden beds are simple yet stylish. The use of thin lengths of wood looks quite pure and unassuming, and they provide a neat border. This design would be very easy and inexpensive to achieve, ideal for anyone on a budget who wants to attempt to edge their own garden. Simply create a frame with lengths of timber and nail or screw them together in place. You could even personalize the look by painting the timber in a color of your choice.
Read Also: Removing Glass Sliding Door
Erect A Living Bamboo Screen For Privacy
But there are other options for furnishing your patio with privacy besides a conventional hedge — consisting of yew bushes or privet shrubs, for example. Another type of “living wall” for privacy;consists of a looser collection of plants that you allow to grow freely–rather than trimming them into a tight “hedge.”;In the slide shown above, the homeowners have chosen bamboo plants to serve this function.
Pea Gravel Patio Cost
The material cost of pea gravel usually varies depending on the size of the project. For small projects, pea gravel usually costs around $300 to $400 for a 200 square foot coverage. Since small projects have small material requirements, pea gravel can be sourced from local home improvement stores. Purchase gravel in bags of 0.5 cubic feet at approximately $4 to $6 per bag for the plain stones and $8 for the colored variant. However, this cost still varies depending on the location.
For larger projects, pea gravel must be purchased from a landscaper or a gravel and stone supplier at tons or cubic yards. ;Plain pea gravel costs around $30 to $35 per cubic yard or $40 to $45 per ton. If you prefer the colored variety, consider an additional amount of $20 to $50 to your cost. Buying in bulk can save you more because the price can go as low as $15 to $20 per ton for a minimum quantity of 10 tons. You can avail of the wholesale from gravel distributors if you have this amount of material requirement.
In terms of installation , a pea gravel patio can cost around $5 per square foot, including the base rock. The bigger the project is, the more expenses you would incur.
Some additional factors which affect the cost of a pea gravel patio are:
Read Also: Classic Wrought Iron Patio Furniture
Paver And Gravel Patio
Pavers are cut flagstones in irregular or square units. Paver and gravel patios are a combination of stone pavers arranged in a specific pattern and small pebbles which are used to fill in the gaps between think of pea gravel acting as a grout for the pavers.
Paver and gravel are a durable and affordable treatment for patios. Also, the combination of the two materials give endless design possibilities because of the diverse size, color and shape pavers have.
Installing a paver and gravel patio makes use of the dry set method wherein the pavers are dry set with sand on a rock and sand base and pea gravel is spread all throughout to fill the spaces between.
Highly textured, this traditional ;flagstone and gravel patio made use of a combination of coarse gravel, large smooth stones and limestone. Variations in stone color, sizes and shape create depth and character for the patio design.
Learn How To Restrain Your Hardscape
Now that you are informed of the two main types of edge restraint, youre ready to put your new knowledge to good use. We put together a step-by-step tutorial on How to Install Hardscape Edge Restraint so you can learn how to install your edge restraint and feel confident youre doing it the right way.
If this article was helpful, learn more hardscaping tips and tricks with our step-by-step tutorials at DIYwithWI.com.
You May Like: How To Remove Mildew From Patio Furniture Cushions
Choosing Materials For Garden Borders
The length of your garden that you want to define and the materials will determine the cost. Its a good idea to figure out what your budget is ahead of time. Think of your gardens style and colour scheme. I have a lot of cool colours in my front garden, so I chose grey pavers with a touch of pink in them for my landscape border.
A measuring tape can be used to measure out a straight line. To determine the amount of materials you need for a curvy area, use a rope to outline the space and then a measuring tape to determine an accurate length. For bricks, divide the length by the width of a brick measurement. Order a few extra, just in case.
Of course you can get creative and use materials you already have or find the materials to make your own. I love upcycling ideas. Do you have old bricks or pavers hiding behind the shed? When we went to our local landscaping/dirt depot searching for edging ideas, my husband and I found square-ish pavers that were the perfect shape and colour. They were discounted because they originated from another garden. I guess this place acts as a reseller, too. We painstakingly counted out what we needed and loaded them into the car!
Making The Most Of Mulch
The rocks and gravel create the illusion of a path that leads off into the distance and the mulch nicely covers the areas where the grass won’t grow to create a place of quiet contemplation. The bench is the perfect finishing touch as well as a place in the shade to sit and meditate.
Don’t Miss: Webbing Straps For Lawn Chairs
Celebrate Spring On The Patio With Potted Bulb Plants
Bulbs such as tulip plants are to spring what fall foliage is to autumn. Make sure you will be able to enjoy some of your favorite spring-flowering bulbs from a comfortable seat on your patio. If you live in an urban area and cannot grow the plants in the ground around your patio, simply grow them in containers, as in this photo.
Install Gravel Patio Edging
You can use any kind of edging to separate the gravel from the grass. I chose concrete pavers with rounded ends to make it easier to follow the gentle curves I cut out of the grass. If you’re making a standard rectangular pea gravel patio, you could even use pressure treated lumber that’s rated for ground contact.
To prevent the concrete pavers from shifting over time and coming out of alignment, I installed this plastic paver edging underneath first. The raised side goes along the grass, and makes it easy to create straight and curved lines with the edging blocks.
Use a hammer and masonry chisel to cut the bricks for a custom fit. I created a 90 degree corner by chopping the curved ends off two blocks. Then I worked backwards to reach the walkway and trimmed the last block to fit.
Make sure that the paver edging is level with the grass to prevent tripping and toe-stubbing. Dig out any high spots, and use the extra dirt to raise any low ones. I also put a thin layer of pea gravel underneath for added stability.
As you lay each paver, place a level on top. Mine tended to tilt in towards the patio because there wasn’t anything holding them upright from that side yet. I used a hand trowel to poke pea gravel under the paver on the low side until it was level.
These paver blocks will eventually extend all the way around the yard. For now, they meet up with the edging I installed last year in the side garden bed.
Don’t Miss: Removing A Sliding Glass Door
Have It Made In The Shade With A Pergola
If you will be spending a lot of time on the patio during the summertime, it is of critical importance that you furnish yourself with some shade. Erecting a pergola structure;over your patio is one way to accomplish this. Cover the pergola with something so that it can cast shade. Some pergolas have retractable awnings. But nature-lovers sometimes prefer to grow vines up their pergolas and let their foliage supply the roofing that will cast much-needed shade. Wisteria vines are commonly used for this purpose.
Enjoy A Lush Tropical Feel
Tropical plants say “summer,” and you can make use of them on and around your patio even in the North . Tropical flowers such as dahlia bulbs;color up the patio splendidly. But do not forget the tropicals that function as foliage plants, such as elephant ears: They may not provide magnificent flowers, but their large leaves furnish a terrific background for the showier specimens on your patio throughout the summer. A versatile tropical plant popular now on patios is the famous;papyrus plant: Use it in a water feature or simply grow it in a container.
Don’t Miss: How To Install Ceiling Fan On Insulated Aluminum Patio
Brick And Gravel Patio
Bricks are typically small sun dried rectangular blocks which are made up of clay. It is commonly used as building material for walls and walkways. Brick can be laid close together while pavers on the other hand interlock together and are available in a variety of shapes and sizes.
The brick and gravel patio is an casual and informal treatment for backyards and outdoor living spaces. It does not follow precise cutting and has a free form approach to design. When it comes to installation, this type of patio follows the same steps as the paver and gravel patio, slate and gravel patio and the flagstone and gravel patio. It uses the dry laying method wherein the bricks are set into a bed of compact sand and the cracks are filled with pea gravel.
Brick and gravel patios are perfect for adding warmth to a space because of;its reddish color and texture.
Ways To Create A Pea Gravel Patio
There are different ways to create a pea gravel patio. Because of the versatility of pea gravel, it can be mixed with any other stones or landscaping material to produce a patio design which suits your taste.
Majority of these gravel patio variations require a level foundation and uses the dry laying method.
Below are the common types of pea gravel patios:
An excellent spot to enjoy outdoor barbecues and parties, this pea gravel epoxy patio has a grilling station and dining table. The contrast between the pea gravel and the rough sandstone cooking station works perfectly for this contemporary themed space.
Read Also: Mold On Outdoor Furniture
Do Consider Bricks And Rocks As A Plant Alternative
Sure, plants are pretty around the base of a tree, but they require water and maintenance in the form of regular fertilizing and occasional trimming. If youd havent time to care for plants, consider an attractive arrangement of rocks; this is an especially good option for trees with roots that extend above the ground, which make planting difficult. Create an outside border of bricks, large stones, or commercial edging to keep small rocks from tumbling out on the lawn. Remember to leave eight to 10 inches between the rocks and the tree trunk.
Landscaping Ideas Around A Concrete Slab
Related Articles
Concrete has come out of the closet over the past few years; its back in style for use in outdoor patios, though it can look minimalistic. Landscaping around concrete patios can lend the space a lot of visual interest and can turn your yard into a real sanctuary. You may have some challenges achieving your desired look, but there are different kinds of greenery, hardscaping and accessories that can help get the job done.
Read Also: How To Build A Patio Storage Box
Grow A Garden In The Sky
Lush landscapes find their way into even the most aerial outdoor living space. This New York City high-rise patio is home to a series of flowering beds and planters that would be right at home in a country courtyard. Incorporating groundcover and containers filled with mid-size trees, vines and flowers, the space feels charmingly overgrown and tucked away in nature.