Landscaping can be a difficult skill to master, particularly because it is often not until well after the fact that you discover you have made a mistake. For instance, adding the wrong kind of rock to a pathway in the summer may not cause a problem until torrential rains arrive in the spring. 

But, landscaping can also elevate your living space and help create a warm and comfortable environment to relax in. It can even add some value to the home when done well, though we would recommend living in the home for a while afterwards to make sure everything went as you had planned. 

What is possible in landscaping?

Landscaping can take a variety of forms, from laying down a new garden path, to completely renovating and restructuring the parking spaces around your home. You can even create sculptures and novel structures around your home that perfectly fit and complement your space. 

Different landscaping projects can also have different levels of difficulty. For instance, clearing out a bit of brush and making a new garden is not too difficult. But building a brand new trellised retreat within an existing garden, complete with its own foundation and electricity might be a bit out of the realm of your experience. 

In this article, we are going to focus on more user-friendly projects like making a garden path or setting up a rock garden. These landscaping projects can create a much nicer visual image in your garden while being relatively low-cost in terms of the time and experience needed to complete them. 

The importance of appropriate materials

When working on simple projects, the most important decision you can make is which materials to use. When there is not much work being done to transform the materials you are using into something else, it is especially important to make sure that you have good base materials to work with. 

One of the most common materials used in landscaping projects is rock. Depending on what project you are working on, you might have different needs, and those needs can change which rocks (e.g. 20mm crushed rock) will work best for you. 

This is particularly important in landscaping as rocks are often the structural element for smaller landscaping projects. The choice of rock can therefore have long-lasting effects on the structure and longevity of the project. 

Why are rocks important in landscaping?

So far, we have talked a lot about what you can do with landscaping, and that no matter what, rocks are likely to be a part of it. So, why is this? 

Well, simply put, rocks are essential in landscaping projects because they are important for managing how the rainfall is able to drain in your garden. No matter where you live, you are likely to have a range of different weather conditions that occur throughout the different seasons. 

These different weather conditions can create rainfall, which usually drains away through the soil. But, if you change a large portion of your available garden space to be covered in rock rather than soil, you run the risk of having a water pool. In the worst case scenario, this can cause damage and even destroy structures around the garden. 

On the other hand, if you use a rock that is too coarse, and you are using the rock to create a foundation for something like a small stand, you need the rock to be fine enough to compact down and make a nice, level surface. 

Using rock for either of these purposes is common in landscaping, so you need to make sure you are choosing the appropriate grade of rock for what you are trying to achieve. 

20mm Crushed Rock vs River Pebbles

Two of the best choices for a fine and a coarse grade of rock respectively are 20mm crushed rock and river pebbles. 

20mm crushed rock makes a great choice as a fine grade of rock, as it is able to be compacted down to form a hard surface. This makes it a great choice for making pathways, or as a base to be covered with paving stones or concrete. 

River pebbles are too coarse for paving. They aren’t able to compact down to the required level surface for paving and would create very slippery, and easily destroyed pathways. 

However, river pebbles are great as a base in the garden. They can be used to cover over a plastic cover to prevent overheating the soil, while also holding the plastic in place to prevent weeds from growing. 

This helps to reduce competition to your plants, as well as helping to create a nice, clean look for your garden beds. 

Where do I find high quality materials for my next landscaping project? 

When you’re looking for the best in River Pebbles and Garden Rocks, you can’t beat the fabulous range here at Hurstbridge Garden Supplies. Our expert staff members can help you whether this is your first landscaping project, or if you make your living transforming gardens through landscaping.

We’re open 7 days a week for you to visit us or for an enquiry, request a quote below.