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Landscaping Rocks

What are the Best Landscaping Rocks for your Lawns?

If you are looking for the best landscaping rocks, you can consider Pea Gravel, Lava Rock, River Rock, Flagstone, Cobblestone and Brick. The choice of landscaping rocks will vary per the outdoor space requirements, the aesthetic values and landscaping ideas. Using rocks in yards goes beyond the aesthetic values it adds to your landscape. 

From selecting the right seasonal plants to installing an outdoor kitchen, our landscaping services can do it all for you. Contact us today for a stunning landscape!

In any yard, only adding greenery will not suffice the landscaping requirements. The landscaping rocks get beauty with their polish apart from cutting down your efforts and money on maintenance. It also helps in conserving water. Here we will check the details about some of the best rocks for your landscaping project. Let us check now: 

The Best Landscaping Rocks for Your Lawn

When you add any best landscape rocks, it helps in improve the value of your property with its uniqueness. Also, landscaping rocks are functional and lead to a hot tub or garden. Now, let us break the rocks into the ones that remain the best for your landscape: 

Pea Gravel

It is a small and rounded stone that remains the size of any green vegetable. Thanks to mother nature, the stones are already polished. One of the best ways to use the stone is over patios. These stones are very versatile; hence they are used in different places, including firepits, playgrounds and other spaces. It is also good for filling and framing spaces as found between the bigger landscaping stones. The cost can range upto $35 per cubic area, while for colored pea gravel, you have to pay $20 to 50 per cubic yard. 

Pros:

Some of the pros include the following:

  • These are versatile and highly affordable
  • It also acts as a weed control agent that improves the drainage system

Cons:

The following is the only cons, which include: 

  • Its difficult to take a barefoot stroll when you these stones in your yar

Lava Rock

These stones are more popular among homeowners. These are misshapen and rough red rocks and remain too expensive compared to the previous ones. These are expensive but are good as a long-term investment option. 

One of the best ways to use it is as a good replacement for mulch in flower beds. It also helps in adding color to the walkway borders. These are available in different colors like gray, black and red. These landscaping rocks cost you around $20 per 10-lb bag. 

Pros:

Some of the pros include the following:

  • It remains stable and does not wash away 
  • It retains moisture and gets rid of the pests 

Cons:

The following are the cons, have a look: 

  • It absorbs heat and reflects light which increases the temperature in the yard. 
  • Hard to move and difficult to clean, and it sinks into the soil, giving tough time to get rid of the stones

River Rock

The next worthy landscaping rock for your lawn is river rock. These are polished, smoothed and found with the help of running water. You can typically find 1-2 inches in diameter and a wide range of shapes and colors. 

The best way to use river rock is like a pea stone, which remains too versatile and effectively used for low-activity patios, flowerbeds and accents. It is popular for xeriscaping and succulents. 

The price of river rocks is slightly on the higher side, which can range from $45- $280, which depends upon the size. However, they have a versatile nature, making them a long-term solution for such yard projects. 

Pros:

Some of the pros include the following:

  • It has good drainage and plays a vital role in erosion control 
  • These are unique and versatile. As they are small, they can easily fit in any space. As this area is available in wide variation in size, shape and color, these two rock pieces are similar. 

Cons:

The following are the cons, have a look: 

  • Adding a new plant to the stone beds is a difficult task. 
  • These easily retain the heat and are difficult to move and clean. 

Cobblestone

The next best landscaping rocks for your lawn are Cobblestones, primarily large-size river rocks .you can find these stones in the river beds, and they are found in different shapes, sizes and colors. These stones have been used for landscaping solutions for the past three centuries. The cost of cobblestone is on the higher side, coming close to $690-$915 per 100 square feet. The best place to use is on the driveways and pathways with some water features. 

Pros:

Some of the pros include the following:

  • Cobblestones are primarily large-size river rocks. You can easily replace them. 
  • These are simple to maintain as  you can easily clean the stains 
  • These are also weather resistant

Cons:

The following are the cons, have a look:

  • These stones are expensive, and you have to decide as per your feasibility 
  • It is difficult to remove the unsteady legs marks on an uneven surface 

Brick

The next on the list is Brick, which is primarily fired clay. However, modern bricks are now made up of different types of materials. One of the best places to use the bricks is the borders, patios, walkways and retaining walls. The cost of bricks can vary as per the material used. It can range from $6 to $10.50. 

Pros:

Some of the pros include the following:

  • These are highly durable.
  • These are simple to maintain and easy to wash

Cons:

The following are the cons, have a look:

  • Their shapes make it challenging to use 
  • These are inflexible changing, replacing and even removing bricks may not be simple 

How can you use landscaping rocks with creativity? 

When dealing with landscaping rocks, the sky is the limit for using your creativity in your yard. You can develop a stream or natural ponds within your yard or have a wall with plants and many more things. When you are creating a waterfall, you can think of decorating a pond or constructing any themed garden, which is easy to mix the rock types. 

These include some boulders and even use flagstone that further helps create the base and limestone with the porous effect. It can further help in creating a creative flow of water. You can further check more about it to add your creativity for a perfect glow. 

Should you install anything under landscaping rocks? 

There is no need to add anything under the landscaping rocks. However, doing it will help you get some benefits. There are several options for this, and the most common ones include the versatile landscaping fabric. It helps in preventing the growth and plants from entering between the rocks. Also, it helps prevent the rocks from sinking over the soil, which remains a common occurrence, particularly using small size rocks like lava rocks and pea gravel. Some of the common types include the following: 

  • Perforated 
  • Spun
  • Woven 
  • Non-woven

The option you try will solely depend upon the kind of rock you have chosen for your landscaping goals. 

Is it possible to get free landscaping rocks? 

Using landscaping with rocks can be an expensive affair; however, you can still find some free rocks at several places; some of these include the following:

  • Construction Sites – If you check the construction crew, there are chances that you have a few rocks that you can easily get over. 
  • Farms – You can check with the farmers as they can help de-risk their land. Several chances can help in agreeing to the tradeoff. 
  • Go Rockhounding – It is similar to a rock collection. These are not allowed at places like national parks or national forest areas. It will help you collect rocks to per your heart’s content. You can try the dry creek beds, the best place to begin.

Any other rocks that you can use for landscaping? 

There are many more landscaping and hardscaping choices and these remain limitless. Some of these are as under: 

  • Beach Pebbles: It is among the most attractive choice but at the same time, it is costly. 
  • Mexican Beach Pebbles: It is a popular choice for water features but also extremely costly. 
  • Marble chips: The light helps in making them luminous; however, it makes the plant and grass hot, which can ruin your greenery. These also have higher pH balance and leach into the soil. 

Should you call a pro or consider DIY for installing landscaping rocks? 

If you have some complex landscaping rocks to deal with, then DIY is not a good idea. Calling professionals like Eden can help with landscaping rock ventures like moving water streams in the garden, putting a large rock, etc., is always a good idea. They give you professional advice to make your space the most beautiful lawn in the town. 

In conclusion, avoid being a person who starts working with landscape rocks but they are not able to manage their DIY venture. So, whether you are working with gravel, boulders, flagstone or any other landscaping stone, calling an expert is always a good idea. Contact Eden for working with landscape rocks only with us. 

From selecting the right seasonal plants to installing an outdoor kitchen, our landscaping services can do it all for you. Contact us today for a stunning landscape!