7 Ways To Use Decorative Aggregates

Seven ways to use Decorative Aggregates for your next landscaping project

There are a number of reasons why you would consider using decorative aggregates, to transform your outdoor space. From driveway pea shingle gravel to larger rockery boulders, pebbles for ponds or just a simple bark flower bed, decorative stones and garden aggregates are versatile, great for drainage and easy to lay for a quick impact and give that unique feature to your garden.

We’ve pulled together this guide to help decide which decorative aggregates are most suitable for your landscaping project needs.

Improving drainage

Decorative aggregates allow water to run through into the ground unlike a lot of paving options, so they can be the perfect solution for reducing the risk of flooding in your garden. Why not use some pea shingle or plum slate chippings as an alternative to paving slabs? Or if you want a mixture, try setting paving stones within them to make an attractive path.

Create a drought-tolerant garden

Rockeries, alpine gardens and gravel gardens are fantastic options if you are looking for a low maintenance garden. They are also well suited to poor quality soils and unpredictable weather. Most of our decorative aggregates can can provide more topography, and are especially well-suited to sloping gardens.

Landscape your pond

If you’re creating a pond, or already have one, decorative aggregates can be ideal for creating a ramp for wildlife and to soften the distinct edges. Pebbles and cobbles can even re-create the feeling of a river or beach side.

Something important to remember is to choose an aggregate that is suitable for the aquatic life in your pond. Some natural stone such as that with lime content will affect the PH of the water and make it unsafe for your pond life. It’s also always a good idea to wash any stones before you add them to your pond.

Re-surface your driveway

Pea shingle gravel can be a great looking and economical option for covering large areas of driveway. We find that angular chippings tend to work best as they fit together tightly so are more stable under foot or vehicles and less likely to roll down gradients than more rounded stones. The smaller the chipping, the tighter the fit, however, larger gravel is less likely to get stuck in car tyres so it really depends on what is our preference.

As driveway materials need to be able to stand up to potentially heavy loads, slate is not a good option as it can break under the weight of vehicles. It’s also worth considering the location of your decorative stone as although a lighter-coloured porous stone like Mellow Cotswold may brighten a shady area, it could attract also algae if you are not careful about maintaining.

The best way to lay decorative stone driveways is on a firm base of hardcore with a suitable edging and applied in several layers, each compacted and rolled separately.

Create a garden path

Most of our decorative aggregates range are suitable for garden pathways, when laid on a suitable sub-base. Gravel is a great option because it is both cost effective and durable. However using decorative bark with a wooden border can also make a striking path design down your garden.

Control weeds

Why not use decorative aggregates to landscape areas of garden as an alternative to mulch or compost? Choose decorative stone chippings or decorative bark that suits the style of your garden and don’t forget to fit a landscaping membrane underneath. This is important as it creates a barrier that stops weeds seeding and growing up through the chippings, saving you hours of weeding in the future. If you want to have flowers and plants growing in the same area, just cut holes around the plants in your bed that give plenty of room for growth.

Filling the gaps

Chippings and pebbles can make the perfect material to put round the edge of a patio or fill in those small or irregular gaps that look unfinished if unfilled. Chosen well, they’ll enhance the space and give a tidy, professional finish to your garden.