Need rocks to edge your flower beds, lay a patio or build a wall? Here's how to get all the free materials you need to landscape your garden with rocks.
Visit Construction Sites
The Spruce / K. Dave
Find a construction site where there's excavation work going on, and they'll probably be more than happy to give you the rocks they've unearthed. To you, they're the start of a rock garden; to them, they're just a nuisance that has to be hauled off at the end of the job.
Help a Farmer
The Spruce / K. Dave
A rocky field isn't desirable if you're a farmer. So, find a farmer, and offer to help remove rocks from his fields. If you're lucky, he may already have a pile of rocks at the edge of the field just waiting to be hauled away.
Talk to Road Construction Crews
The Spruce / K. Dave
Know of a big road construction project that involves lots of blasting? Put in a call to the job foreman, and you may have your source for free rocks. Just don't bother them at the job site, where your presence could be both a distraction and a safety hazard.
Go Rockhounding
The Spruce / K. Dave
Rockhounding is the hobby of searching for and collecting rocks, and while it's not allowed in National Parks, it is allowed in most National Forests and on most properties managed by the Bureau of Land Management. You can collect up to 250 pounds of rock a day in Utah without a permit. Now, that's a lot of free rock
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Curb Shop for It
alejandrophotography / Getty ImagesWhen homeowners' dive into their yard work and garden design in the spring, lots of good stuff gets hauled to the curb – including rocks. Take a Sunday drive, and you may just find some beautiful rocks to add to your garden.
Tip: Broken up concrete is a good stand in for rock if you're working on edging your garden.
Shop Craigslist and Freecycle
People Images / Getty Images
Craigslist and Freecycle can be a good source for free rocks, but you'll have to check both sites regularly and be quick on the draw when an offer comes up.
Gravel is necessary for many landscape projects and not just beautiful rock gardens. Retaining walls and other features that require drainage make great use of large gravel to allow water to drain away faster than soil would. When you’re doing a DIY landscape project, it’s important to choose the right type of gravel. Here is an explanation of your options and their benefits.
What Size of Gravel is Best for Drainage?
Gravel intended for drainage projects needs to be large. That way it will not become compacted. Instead, it should stop debris like leaves right at the top layer, and have plenty of room between stones for water to drain down.
In general, you want to aim for ½ inch to 1-inch gravel for drainage. Areas that will see especially heavy flow may need larger gravel. Or, projects without drainage pipes may also need larger gravel. For example, a French drain without perforated pipe needs 1 ½ inch gravel.
Options for the Bottom of Drains
On the bottom layer of your project or drain you need stone that is ideally sized for your project. The beauty and coarseness of the stone don’t matter, because it should be covered by a top layer of gravel.
One of your best options is our ¾ inch clear drainage stone. This stone is the perfect middle ground between the ½ inch to 1-inch range that is suitable for drainage projects. It is available at all of our locations. Give our team at Grand River Natural Stone a call today.
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Options for Top Layers
You should have a separate layer of gravel for the top of the feature. If you wish to cover this with sod, you don’t need to worry about how it looks. However, for projects where the top layer of gravel will be visible, you want to choose a stone that will enhance the beauty of your project. Here are some options:
- Pink Quartz: This stone has delightful texture as well as several shades of pink. It’s a great option to add some personality to your project.
- Northern Granite River Rock: A smoother, more subtly coloured stone, Northern Granite River Rock is a great option for more natural landscapes. It works well with many of our other stones if you’re mixing and matching.
- White Dolomite: As it sounds, this is crushed dolomite, a white, crystalline stone. It’s a great option for modern landscapes that want to look eye-catching with less colour.
Stones You Shouldn’t Use
For drainage projects, you do not want to use any type of pea stone. While this stone is beautiful and great for other applications it is too small to drain properly.
Have concerns about your water drainage? Contact the experts at Grand River Natural Stone, and they will recommend the best gravel for your needs.
Sources:
//www.grandriverstone.com/product/granular-gravel/
//www.hunker.com/13424513/size-type-of-gravel-for-a-french-drain