For those who aren’t particularly green fingered and don’t enjoy the continuous task of weeding their flower beds then the answer may lie in a simple upgrade to a low maintenance gravel alternative. Not only do gravel flower beds looks good all year round, they require less maintenance than soil beds and can make your garden look as though you’ve spent some serious time thinking about landscaping and design. So here’s what you’ll need to know to create one in your garden.

Prepare the area

Find the area or bed you wish to upgrade and begin by removing any weeds and turning over the soil. Try to place your gravel bed away from overhanging trees to avoid the task of needing to remove stray leaves when they fall. Most plants still need soil to grow and placing them directly in the gravel won’t work out well, remove plants if you can to give you a blank canvas or alternatively just make sure that the area around them is clear ready for the next step.

Put in a weed blocking cloth barrier

To stop those obnoxious weeds from growing up through the gravel you’ll want to put down a weed blocking cloth barrier. A cloth barrier allows moisture to transfer too but will stop anything else from growing up through your gravel. It’s easier to lay down your barrier and then cut out holes for your plants rather than to fit the cloth over the plants already in the bed. Cutting the holes after gives you time to work out how you want your bed to look. Cut the plant holes as small as possible whilst giving the plant room to grow, as any area not covered by the barrier is left vulnerable to weeds.

Plant your plants

Once you have cut out the holes for your plants it’s time to plant them back into the soil. For a truly low maintenance bed, choose plants, shrubs and grasses that require little attention and won’t need dead heading, pruning too regularly or diligent watering. Another alternative is to use beautiful succulents that thrive in well draining gravel.

Choose your gravel

Some people choose wood chip over gravel, but this is more likely to blow away won’t last as well as a gravel in the long run. The type of gravel you choose will depend a little on the colour and overall style you are going for. Contact your local patio pavers who often have a good selection of gravel and river rocks perfect for garden landscaping, it will probably be better quality than what you can find at your home depot and they’ll be able to advise you on the unique properties of each type of natural stone. Once you’ve chosen your gravel then gently lay it around your plants and ensure to have a thick enough layer to avoid being able to see the liner through the stones.

Add the finishing touches

Your new gravel bed is practically finished and the last thing to do is add any finishing touches such as larger rocks, or ornaments that will add some more texture and give your bed a rockery feel.

And that’s that, you now have a beautiful, low maintenance, gravel flower bed.

Need help with your yard? Contact Riverside Garden and Tree Service.