Best Pea Gravel Landscaping Ideas for 2022

You can achieve a good hardscaping by using pea gravel to add structure and appeal to your yard. Using pea gravel for landscaping is probably the most affordable and easiest way to add excellent landscape features. You can easily make your yard both functional and eye-catching. 

In essence, pea gravel is recommended for solid surfaces that handle the majority of foot-traffic in your yard or garden. Pea gravel is also great to add accents and contrasts to the surrounding flower beds, grass swaths and plants. 

What is Pea Gravel?

Pea gravel consists of small, rounded stones that are about the size of actual peas. They are similar to river rocks with smooth surfaces, thanks to the flowing water. Pea gravel is usually found near bodies of water, such as riverbeds. 

As these small stones are formed through natural weathering, pea gravel is available in different natural colors, such as white, gray or shades of brown. 

What is Pea Gravel used for?

Expert landscaping professionals, such as Eden, advise to use pea gravel for almost anything, from garden borders and walkways to driveways and patios. The soft smooth texture of these small stones also makes them ideal for use on footpaths. 

Pea gravel is also effective in preventing weed growth. It does not compose like organic mulch so it also makes excellent rock mulch for your lawn or garden. Besides this, as it is gravel it does not retain water and drains it away quickly. Pea gravel is also rodent resistant and is ideal for xeriscaping too, besides being used as border for your home or garden. 

Pea gravel is durable and looks classic hence it has numerous uses. 

How to install Pea Gravel?

It is highly advised to seek professional help whenever you want to lay down gravel along a path, patio or anywhere on your property. However, if you choose to do pea gravel installation as a DIY task, then you need to keep certain things in mind. 

First, pea gravel shifts easily so you will need to create some form of border or edge so that the gravel stays level in its place. Metal edging, stone pavers and treated lumber are great to create borders for gravel paths. If you fail to create a sufficient border, then the gravel is likely to gradually spread around all over the garden and become a headache to clean. 

Pea gravel is definitely easy to maintain in the short run but it can seem difficult to clean or replace later on. 

For an effective pea gravel path, make sure to lay a layer of landscaping fabric before installing the stones. This way, you can prevent nuisance plants and weeds from finding root in the gravel. This way, you can easily prevent weed and bring down the overall maintenance too. 

The next step is to plan carefully how deep the gravel layer should be. This is an important step to prevent the gravel from slipping under your foot when walking on it. If you put a layer of gravel too deep, then the gravel will act like quicksand and sink where you step. On the other hand, if you put a layer of gravel which is too shallow, it could quickly turn into a muddy slush. 

The best way is to start with a heavy tamper so that you can compress the soil underneath. Then add a base layer of either sand or crushed rock. The next step is to lay on about 3 inches of pea gravel then tamp it down to make it compact. A strong base is extremely important for functioning gravel pathways and driveways. 

What are the top Pea Gravel Landscape Ideas?

Here are some interesting and attractive ideas for pea gravel landscaping for your garden and lawn:

1. Mix gravel with drought-resistant plants

There are numerous varieties of flowers which flourish well in gravel gardens, such as those that are tolerant to dry conditions. These usually have silver, bluish or grey foliage. The gravel acts as a mulch and not only improves the surface drainage but also helps to retain water deeper in the soil so that it inhibits evaporation. 

You can plant large areas of gravel with a mix of flowers which won’t need watering during summer. This is an excellent pea gravel landscaping idea for Mediterranean-style gardens. 

2. Gravel in the patio

Most modern gardens tend to have smooth hard surfaces more predominantly. However, at times, designers often include contrasting materials to maximize appeal and texture. You can add distinct details, such as a bed of white gravel among smooth paving stones for a bold architectural theme. You can buy different sizes of decorative white or cream pebbles for this pea gravel landscaping idea.

3. Gravel around the water feature

Contemporary gardens look more attractive with smooth beds of gravel. Pea gravel makes a nice contrast to break up smooth pavestones and wooden decks on patio floors. You can soften the effect by using bold leaf painting growing through the gravel. You can even choose to create pockets of gravel between paving stones or wooden floors, like little islands of pea gravel, in your patio. 

4. Japanese-style raked gravel

If you love Japanese gardens then you can create a feature of it in your own backyard or garden. Gravel formations in Japanese-style gardens are meant to represent a calm and serene order as these gardens are often used for meditation. You can add hard landscaping materials, such as circular paths made of stepping stones with pockets of raked gravel between the stones to create a stunning rippling effect.

5. Segmented gravel designs

Pea gravel is an excellent choice for landscaping small areas where paving is not convenient or possible. You can create quite an impact by combining different types of gravel and laying them out in a well-defined geometric design, such as checkered or stripes. 

Conclusion

Pea gravel is one of the most versatile and cost-efficient ways to enhance the overall landscape in your garden or backyard. The gravel comes in various colors and sizes so it is also convenient to create different types of designs with it.