How to Plant a Hardy and Drought Tolerant Gravel Garden

If you’re tired of watering your lawn to keep it alive, or if you live in a place with water restrictions, you may have become disillusioned with the garden. In places where traditional landscape plants are difficult to sustain, or for people who want an economical low-maintenance alternative to turf, a gravel garden is a great choice. Using gravel as a border, growing medium, or even for color is easy to do yourself with a few tools and materials.

For this project you will need a shovel , soil compactor , weed barrier , landscaping net , gravel , rake and, depending on the size of the space you are working in, a wheelbarrow and a gravel spreader . You will also need gravel-loving plants if you plan to use the gravel itself as a growing medium.

How to install a low maintenance gravel garden

The installation method is what makes a gravel garden low maintenance. The first step is to remove the grass and weeds and then pack the soil down to get a level surface. It’s good to have a gentle slope, but if the ground is too steep it will be difficult to keep the gravel in place. Once you’ve cleared the area, install a weed barrier to keep weeds out of the area once the gravel is in place. Use landscape mesh and a border to prevent the gravel from washing out and help separate the gravel from the surrounding land so it looks more finished.

Once you have prepared your site, you can choose from many different types of gravel depending on your taste. Fine gravel is usually the cheapest, but you can also find river stone and marble chips for a relatively low price. Use landscape mesh or border material to create a pattern and add some interest to your gravel landscaping. There are many types of gravel to choose from, so you can find the color and shape that’s right for you.

How to choose the right plants for your gravel garden

Then add some plants that you like. You can set up beds directly in the gravel or leave yourself space on traditional soil. Succulents such as sedum and sedum are well adapted to life on a gravel pad, as are rock rooting plants such as sedge and ayuga . Other drought-tolerant plants for a gravel garden include thistle , sage , and ice plant . You can choose from a variety of flowering plants to add some color from spring to fall. If you choose to leave some soil for your garden beds, plants that are adapted to your geographic location are best. You can also add container plants to your design to add levels to your landscape.

Because most gravel-dwelling plants don’t require much maintenance, you can basically set it up and forget it once your plants have shrunk. You will probably need to trim any cascading or trailing plants once a season to keep them from overgrowing. ways; also, weeding from time to time will do, and once a season use a rake to smooth out the gravel.