Landscaping with river rock
is among the best ways to beautify a small lake in your backyard. The rocks are
unique and eco-friendly, as they come directly from nature. They not just serve
an aesthetic purpose, additionally they serve a practical one by giving good
drainage for your garden stream or pond. You are able to landscape with river rock utilizing a few creative ideas.
River rock is an excellent addition to your backyard pond, creek or stream, however, you can even use it when you don't have a body of water in your yard. You should use river rock in your garden, around various plants or perhaps to add an exquisite rock garden towards the area. River rock is relatively cheap and easy to find as well as to use. It may also help in the drainage water in the garden.
What is River Rock Anyway?
So we're on the same page, let's move on with a definition of river rock because it applies to landscaping projects. These stones often look dramatically not the same as one another. Some are as large as a softball, while others are pebble sized. River rock could be blue, green, red, pink, orange, coral, slate gray, or any mixture of these colors. It can have stripes, spots and striations, or it may be solid colored.
But there is something that all landscaping river rocks share. They all have a softly rounded shape along with a smooth finish. This is what means they are so popular in the landscape design world.
Rocks which are dug from the earth are often chunky and rough, with jagged points, edges and ridges. This is an excellent look for certain types of landscaping projects, like accent boulders. But may you want to use stones having a more rounded and smooth finish, and that is where river rocks are available in. Water currents wear down these rocks on the long period of time. This gives them a refined appearance, nearly as if they were shaped and polished manually. You can see this in the pictures above and below.
The water-aging process also provides them interesting shapes, colors and striations. Some river rocks even seem like gems or precious stones. For this reason they are so popular in landscaping and landscape design projects. They give a unique and colorful element for your yard. They look even more beautiful when wet, and that's why they are often used in designs that contain water in some way (fountains, waterfalls, etc.).
Trivia: A few of the river rock landscaping the thing is in landscape yards and residential supply stores actually range from ocean. This is especially true in coastal cities, where these stones wash up on the beach at high tide. We reside in San Diego, and my daughter and that i collect them to put into decorative vases. Any kind of rock that has been shaped by water could be labeled and sold as river rock -- even when it's from the sea! If you live near the ocean, you might have a free source of this material.
River rock is an excellent addition to your backyard pond, creek or stream, however, you can even use it when you don't have a body of water in your yard. You should use river rock in your garden, around various plants or perhaps to add an exquisite rock garden towards the area. River rock is relatively cheap and easy to find as well as to use. It may also help in the drainage water in the garden.
What is River Rock Anyway?
So we're on the same page, let's move on with a definition of river rock because it applies to landscaping projects. These stones often look dramatically not the same as one another. Some are as large as a softball, while others are pebble sized. River rock could be blue, green, red, pink, orange, coral, slate gray, or any mixture of these colors. It can have stripes, spots and striations, or it may be solid colored.
But there is something that all landscaping river rocks share. They all have a softly rounded shape along with a smooth finish. This is what means they are so popular in the landscape design world.
Rocks which are dug from the earth are often chunky and rough, with jagged points, edges and ridges. This is an excellent look for certain types of landscaping projects, like accent boulders. But may you want to use stones having a more rounded and smooth finish, and that is where river rocks are available in. Water currents wear down these rocks on the long period of time. This gives them a refined appearance, nearly as if they were shaped and polished manually. You can see this in the pictures above and below.
The water-aging process also provides them interesting shapes, colors and striations. Some river rocks even seem like gems or precious stones. For this reason they are so popular in landscaping and landscape design projects. They give a unique and colorful element for your yard. They look even more beautiful when wet, and that's why they are often used in designs that contain water in some way (fountains, waterfalls, etc.).
Trivia: A few of the river rock landscaping the thing is in landscape yards and residential supply stores actually range from ocean. This is especially true in coastal cities, where these stones wash up on the beach at high tide. We reside in San Diego, and my daughter and that i collect them to put into decorative vases. Any kind of rock that has been shaped by water could be labeled and sold as river rock -- even when it's from the sea! If you live near the ocean, you might have a free source of this material.
Let's discuss the different ways you can incorporate these components into your next landscape project. Check out the pictures below, and you'll understand why rock garden and water fountain is so common as a landscaping material. It's incredibly versatile, and it puts a pleasant finishing touch on any design. You can use it as the focal point of a landscape design project, or it may play more of a 'supporting role' like a substrate or background material. The world's your oyster to how you can use this kind of stone.
Okay, so there is a limit. Availability. You can just use the river rock that's available in your town, at the local landscape supply yards. These components has to be trucked locally, and the cost could be prohibitive. So the selection will be different depending on where you live.
If you are doing all of your own landscaping project, you need to call and drive around to determine what's available in your area. You might want to visit a few yards to obtain the product you want. If you're utilizing a landscape design company, question them about your options for incorporating these components.
Here are some ideas for using river rock.
The Dry Creek Bed
This really is one of the most common uses for river rock, from the landscaping perspective. It adds a fascinating visual element to any yard, it doesn't matter what 'obstacles' are in the way. In fact, you are able to incorporate things like trees and boulders in to the flow of the creek bed. So there's more often than not a way to build this idea to your overall landscape design.
The fantastic thing about using river rock for any creek bed is that it looks totally natural. In the end, these stones were shaped by water from rivers, streams and ocean currents. So that they look right at home within this type of design concept. It gives the appearance of a creek running using your hard. It can even be combined with flowing water, as it naturally channels the flow wherever you would like it to go.
You can wind your creek bed around boulders, plants or any other landscaping features, to give it much more 'personality.' This is where it helps to have a landscape designer lay everything out for you, if you're not the creative type.
The forest Rock Path
This is a variation from the river rock landscaping idea above. Here you would employ the same concept, but in wherein makes the creek bed be the path, as well. This project would require some form of border material to keep the rock in position, especially if the path is going to butt facing a grassy area that gets mowed regularly. You wouldn't want any stones getting beneath your mower blades.
You also need to select a type of river rock that's around the smaller end of the scale, therefore it is easy to walk on. Stones will do the job. You might want to use some pavers or flagstone steps too, interspersing the forest rock between each of the stepping stones. This could make it even easier to walk on. However it can be done without this added feature. There exists a path in our backyard that includes pea-sized gravel only (no stepping stones), which is fairly easy to walk on. Therefore it is really a matter of personal preference. Which kind of look are you going for?
Other Landscaping Ideas
They are certainly not the only ideas for using river rock inside your landscaping plans. You are limited only from your imagination. There are many ways to use it inside a landscape design. As mentioned earlier, it's one of the most versatile materials you should use.
Here are some more ideas on integrating river rock:
Utilize it as mulch, instead of utilizing a wood-based
mulch.
Spread it around flowering shrubs of the contrasting color, to make the plants 'pop.'
§Spread it around a highlight boulder, maybe with a few plants popping through.
Utilize it to fill a border area with a fence, a terraced wall, as well as other structure.
Use bender board to shape it into concentric circles around a fountain.
If you are planning to make a serious investment in your yard (i.e., considerable time, money and effort), you should buy a landscape design book that's full of pictures and ideas. Many of these books have an entire chapter focused on using rocks and stone, such as the many different ways you can utilize river rock. At the minimum, visit some more landscaping websites which have pictures of this product in 'action.'
Get Quotes from the Professional Landscaper
River rock can be quite versatile. But it's not the simplest thing to transport and install. With respect to the size of your project, and the landscaping idea you are interested in, you might be making quite a few wheelbarrow trips. It may be dirty, backbreaking work.
Spread it around flowering shrubs of the contrasting color, to make the plants 'pop.'
§Spread it around a highlight boulder, maybe with a few plants popping through.
Utilize it to fill a border area with a fence, a terraced wall, as well as other structure.
Use bender board to shape it into concentric circles around a fountain.
If you are planning to make a serious investment in your yard (i.e., considerable time, money and effort), you should buy a landscape design book that's full of pictures and ideas. Many of these books have an entire chapter focused on using rocks and stone, such as the many different ways you can utilize river rock. At the minimum, visit some more landscaping websites which have pictures of this product in 'action.'
Get Quotes from the Professional Landscaper
River rock can be quite versatile. But it's not the simplest thing to transport and install. With respect to the size of your project, and the landscaping idea you are interested in, you might be making quite a few wheelbarrow trips. It may be dirty, backbreaking work.
