One of the most beautiful and useful landscape techniques is decorative fills. To create them, a variety of bulk materials.
With the help of such coatings you can change the appearance of the garden, place accents in new ways, and create an individual style.
In addition, fills are an excellent mulch: weeds grow more slowly, moisture evaporation is reduced, and a crust does not form on the soil surface. Dumps can also be used as a replacement for a classic lawn.
Inorganic fills are perfect for decorating reservoirs, alpine slides, rockeries and sandy gardens. Using waves, stripes and circles of gravel and chips, you can accentuate a spectacular plant; To do this, choose the filling in contrast to the color of the leaves and flowers. Large surfaces covered with homogeneous material of the same color, or a combination of areas of contrasting colors, look most impressive. Stone fills are divided into gravel, pebbles and chips, depending on the size and shape of the stones.
Finely crushed natural stone has chipped, sharp or rounded surfaces. There are monomineral gravels, for example from granite, and mixtures of different rocks: granite, sandstone, slate, marble and quartzite. It has many shades, which allows it to harmoniously “fit” into any landscape design. It does not retain air or moisture, and the soil underneath does not overheat. The material is durable, does not fade, and is relatively inexpensive.
Pebbles
They are rounded small stones, rounded and polished by river or sea wave. Decorative pebbles are used as backfill - river, beige and sandy colors, and sea “shell rock” - gray, beige, brown and light pink. There are also man-made pebbles made in a special stone-processing machine. Marble, granite, gneiss, quartzite, and slate are used for its production. Pebbles made from flagstone are flat, but if the starting material was rubble, they are voluminous. The pebbles contain many colorful stones and are very decorative. The material is smooth and forms surfaces with a soft texture. Pebbles have a long service life and require almost no maintenance. The cost of all types of pebbles is quite high.
Chit
This is the smallest of the materials in the “stone” line: from 2.5 to 6 mm. There are granite, marble, quartzite chips, anthracite, siltstone, shungite, etc. Natural granite chips are a mixture of sand, gray and reddish shades. Dyed comes in any color, from dandelion yellow to Prussian blue, but it is much more expensive than natural. It must be borne in mind that under granites and shales the soil acidifies quite quickly. IN shady areas Marble chips cannot be used in the garden; they are quickly attacked by moss and mold. In addition, the crumbs “flow” into the ground over time, so it is better to place geotextiles under them and protect them from spilling with a border.
Expanded clay
Light porous material in the form of oval granules, ocher color. Expanded clay is produced by firing low-melting clay. Very durable, frost-resistant and moisture-resistant material, chemically inert. Of all types of fills, expanded clay is the least decorative. It is usually used to decorate flowerpots.
Unusual
Can be used as an effective addition unusual species fills such as seashells and colored glass. They are especially beautiful in the design of ponds and dry streams. Small glass beads of blue, green and purple flowers They look very original with white shells and large pebbles of a bluish-gray hue.
How to do
1. Before starting work, it is better to draw a site layout plan so that new element garden design did not “stick out” like a foreign body in the middle of the landscape. Try not to choose strictly geometric shapes.
2. Remove the top fertile layer of soil, remove weed roots, carefully level and compact the soil.
3. Lay dense geotextiles or spunbond. It is better to take black covering material. If you want to place plants on the fill, you need to make cross-shaped cuts in the geotextile.
4. To prevent fills of different colors from mixing with each other, install border tape along the contour of the pattern.
5. Immediately after installation, the decorative coating must be leveled, compacted and watered.
How much to sprinkle?
The thickness of the layer of stone chips usually does not exceed 5 cm. Per 1 sq. m on average it takes 4 large (12-liter) buckets. The thickness of the decorative filling of organic materials (chips, bark) is 5-8 cm. The layer on the path is made thicker - 7-10 mm. One bag (60 liters) of wood chips is enough to cover 1 square meter. m in a 3 cm layer. A bag of pine nut shells on the same area will give a 4 cm layer.
Advice to a summer resident:
It is not easy to sweep away debris from stone piles, so you should not do them under plants that scatter leaves, petals, pine needles and seeds around them.
Materials for decorative fillings
| mineral/rock | color and shade | properties |
| granite | black-white-red, red-violet, pink, gray | very strong, durable and decorative breed |
| marble | bright white, yellowish, gray, blue-gray, crimson | very effective, resistant and durable material |
| sandstone | Natural – light gray, beige, golden; fired - terracotta and charcoal black | coarse gravel with a relief heterogeneous texture |
| quartzite | brown-raspberry; wet quartzite turns red and hot pink | very elegant, durable and resistant material with sharp “torn” edges |
| slate | greenish, gray, burgundy, black and purple | flat relief plates, effective in bulk |
| coil | gray-greenish tint | edges are sharp; in the rain green color appears more clearly |
| shungite | shiny black and matte gray black | durable, chemical resistant and beautiful material with sharp edges |
Having free space on the site is an excellent opportunity to diversify the landscape by adding an unusual flower bed made of crushed stone or gravel. Such a flower garden will not cause problems in the process of care and will become an effective element of decor; it can be decorated exactly the way you want, thanks to its convenience source material. Do-it-yourself crushed stone flowerbed - great option even for inexperienced gardeners. Everyone can create a real work of landscape art by showing their imagination.
What is a gravel bed
A gravel flower garden is a small or medium-sized plot of land, the space of which, with the exception of the place for planting plants, is completely covered with crushed stone. The selection of plants for such a flower bed depends on the overall design of the garden, but most often gardeners choose evergreen or decorative deciduous perennials. Herbaceous annual plants They are used much less frequently, since with them the flowerbed will quickly lose the desired decorative effect.
Important! Gravel can reduce water evaporation from the soil and can reduce the frequency of watering plants, in summer time it prevents soil heating and protects against frost in winter. This versatile material also limits the growth of weeds.
Flowers in flowerpots will also look beautiful if included in the composition of a gravel bed. The pots can be dug into the soil and sprinkled with the smallest stones, or simply placed securely on the surface of the gravel backfill. One of the main advantages of such a gravel flowerbed with your own hands is the ability to change the location of the flowerpots at your discretion and at any time. Great amount flower bed design options based on crushed stone allows you to create a flower garden of any type.
Advantages and disadvantages of a flower bed with crushed stone
Flowerbeds made of coarse crushed stone or fine gravel look original and interesting; this is the best option for those who want to diversify the design of their site. For such flower beds, both large and small stones are used, depending on the location of the flower bed and the type of landscape. To make the flower garden look more interesting, it is better to use decorative gravel of various sizes and combine it at your discretion. A large number of advantages makes such flower beds more popular among gardeners looking for non-standard design solutions for their plots:
- does not require serious maintenance due to the absence of weeds, since they are based on a backfill of stones;
- flower beds can be laid out anywhere in the territory, in the shade or in the sun, on a sloping surface or plain;
- can have any size, shape or decor;
- allow you to water and fertilize plantings much less frequently;
- They give the garden a well-groomed appearance and are an original element of the landscape.
An additional bonus is the low price of the material and its environmental friendliness, it protects root system planted plants by blocking air exchange. The gravel finish does not cause any difficulties when creating a flower garden and goes well with other materials, such as wood, moss or metal.
Among the disadvantages of filling a flower bed with gravel, it is worth noting the problems during harvesting in the fall, when it needs to be cleaned of fallen leaves.
How to make a flower bed with gravel
To make a flowerbed with crushed stone with your own hands in a country house or on a site at home, it is important to choose a place to place it. Depending on its size, you can determine the exact amount of materials. First of all, you need to choose the main material - crushed stone of various fractions and shades, depending on the design of the flower garden. For the work you will also need to purchase a special mulching cloth with fastenings, a weed membrane and containers for planting plants.
Soil preparation
First of all, you need to select a suitable area where the gravel flower beds will be located, and determine its boundaries using pegs with taut rope. Must be removed from the area upper layer soil with a depth of at least 20 cm, its surface should be leveled. The place must be completely cleared of weeds along with the roots. In order not to miss those weeds that have not yet sprouted, the ground needs to be watered and left for up to a week until the sprouts appear, then remove them too.
Important! Decorating flower beds with crushed stone is not only beautiful, but also profitable. With them, the garden always looks well-groomed, and the plants are reliably protected from weeds and other unfavorable factors under a layer of gravel.
After removing the weeds and preparing the ground, the site is dug up, adding expanded clay or coarse sand in the process. Next, the soil is compacted using a garden roller and covered with the first layer of mulching cloth, which will prevent the gravel from subsiding and growing perennial weeds. When the area is completely covered with fabric, it will be necessary to make holes in it every 3 square meters. m. in order to remove excess water. In the process of decorating a flowerbed with crushed stone, such measures will help create a perfectly even layer.
Preparing a place for planting
To prepare the site, you will need to make holes for planting in geotextile material, having previously determined how many plants you plan to grow in the flower garden. The holes must match the size of the planting containers. In each of them you need to dig a small hole, fill it with soil and plant a plant. Soft containers are ideal for gravel beds; they protect the roots of flowers and shrubs, and also reliably separate a layer of plain or colored crushed stone for flower beds from the planting site.
Advice! Small ones work best with gravel. coniferous trees, palm plants, azaleas, yuccas, maples, hydrangeas and ornamental grasses. They can be advantageously combined to form interesting compositions.
You can plant plants after decorating the flower beds with gravel; to do this, you need to remove excess gravel in the planting areas. Then make holes in the mulching sheet, bend its edges down and make a hole in the soil for the seedling. Afterwards, plants are planted in the prepared holes, sprinkled with a layer of soil and watered after distributing the removed gravel.
How to fill a flowerbed with crushed stone
To properly lay decorative crushed stone in a flowerbed, you need to prepare the soil and level its surface. Next, the gravel is evenly distributed over the site, making sure that its first layer is at least 3 cm. A thinner layer will provoke the growth of weeds due to the presence of gaps between the crushed stone and the soil. It is better to make the layer thicker so that weeds do not interfere with the plants in the future flower bed. Plant types also need to be taken into account, for example, a thick gravel layer is better for rhododendrons and azaleas.
The function of the first layer is to remove rainwater and drainage. A second sheet of geotextile is laid on it, designed to separate the main and decorative layers of crushed stone. The final stage is the filling of a decorative layer, with which the geotextile is masked; it should be completely hidden under plain or colored crushed stone for flower beds. At this stage, the composition of the flower bed is also formed, taking into account the previously developed design of the picture.
How to paint crushed stone for a flowerbed with your own hands
Ordinary crushed stone can be turned into decorative by painting it in various colors depending on the design of the flower bed. The technology for coloring crushed stone for a flower bed is not complicated; when choosing high-quality dyes, the stones retain their original color for a long time. Special aerosol enamel in cans, as well as acrylic or alkyd paints, are suitable for them.
The process consists of several stages:
- The selected stones must be thoroughly washed.
- Paint each stone on one side and the other desired color, waiting for the paint to dry.
- The paint is applied in a thin layer; if in the end the color is not too bright, the process can be repeated.
The method of painting each stone is suitable for processing small quantities. When there is a lot of gravel, it is poured into a large container and paint is poured on top, thoroughly mixing the stones. A concrete mixer is well suited for these purposes. Flowerbeds with white crushed stone look no less impressive, but often site owners prefer a more original decor.
What plants to plant in a gravel bed
The versatility of the gravel flower bed allows you to use many plants different types. When choosing them, it is necessary to take into account the overall design of the landscape and the chosen decor of the flower bed. Plot owners can make a gravel flowerbed without grass or use conifers. Cypress, boxwood, yucca, yew and Rogersia trees look especially beautiful on light crushed stone.
Shrubs with bright and variegated foliage, for example, Fortune's euonymus, hydrangeas, Thunberg barberry and others, will also look impressive.
There are many types of plants that can be used in the composition, for example, a gravel flowerbed with conifers is considered the most popular option. It’s easier to remember which ones are best not to choose; these are fast-growing plantings and plants that require frequent replanting.
Photo ideas of flower beds with decorative crushed stone (gravel)
The number of ideas for decorating flower beds with crushed stone is limited only by the imagination of the owner of the site. Below are the most interesting and non-standard gravel flower beds with photos, which you can easily make step by step with your own hands using colored or plain crushed stone.
Conclusion
Decorating a flowerbed with colored crushed stone, as shown in the examples in the photo above, is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. This is a popular and environmentally friendly idea that many owners of summer cottages and adjacent plots have been using with pleasure for a long time. Beautiful flower bed made from crushed stone with your own hands will delight you with its appearance for a long time, and will also become a wonderful decoration for the landscape if you decorate it correctly and with taste.
Decorative filling refers to bulk materials of different fractions used for mulching the soil. This can be small and large gravel, stone chips, shells, sand, pebbles, wood chips, pine nut shells, bark and decorative “pebbles” made of plastic or glass. 
The use of various decorative fills in the landscape can transform the appearance of your site. Row decorative compositions- a rock garden or rock garden, a Japanese landscape, a landscape pond, a sandy garden - are unthinkable without backfills. In addition, they can be used to create patios and paths, and for flower beds. Mulching the soil protects it from excessive evaporation of moisture. And when used in the garden colorful glass, colored decorative chips, filling with crushed stone different shades, you can achieve phenomenal effects. 
Decorative organic fills
Among these fillings, the most popular are cedar husk and pine bark. 
First of all, the advantages of pine bark include long term service: the bark does not rot for a long time (especially large fractions), does not fade. Moreover, such backfill is an environmentally friendly material that fits into the composition of the landscape. 
Wood chips And cedar husk are painted in different colors and thus provide ample scope for experimenting with color in the garden. Wood chips are painted with environmentally friendly paints. Of course, you need to use colorful chips in the garden with caution: both the color of the mulch and the composition must be consistent with the surroundings. 
Too bright colors of colored wood chips are inappropriate in landscape compositions. But a variety of colors will allow you to create colorful soft paths.
The indisputable common advantage of these fills is their low cost. These materials themselves are inexpensive, and some of them (chips, bark) are by-products of wood processing industries. 
The main disadvantage is the relatively short service life.
Using organic fills in flower beds, in tree circles - wherever they are laid directly on the ground - you need to keep in mind that over time, the rotting lower layer of mulch changes the composition of the soil. Most organic fills acidify the soil. For some plants, this property of decorative fillings can be an advantage - for example, for rhododendrons. 
When laying decorative fill on the ground, it is advisable to add a small amount of material every year - firstly, this will preserve the appearance, and secondly, it will compensate for rotting. 
Inorganic fills
These fills include crushed stone, gravel of different fractions, pebbles (sea and river), and sand. Inorganic fills also include materials of artificial origin - plastic and colored glass (colored decorative “pebbles”).
The advantage of inorganic fills lies primarily in their long service life. The gravel backfill does not crumble and does not change appearance. Stone fills require almost no maintenance. In addition, gravel filling protects the soil from overheating and does not retain water. 
One of the main disadvantages of inorganic fills is that it is very difficult to remove accumulated debris (wood litter) from them, so it is better to place crushed stone paths and compositions with gravel fill away from trees. Over time, decorative inorganic fills silt, and soil particles, seeds and sand can get into them. As a result, weeds appear on the covered surface. But they fall out easily.
Using decorative fills in the garden
Filling has become widespread in the design of patios and paths. But decorative fills are also used as mulch in flower beds and for decoration. tree trunk circles near the trees.
All types of fills can be used to design paths. To form a path, it is necessary to dig a shallow pit, lay geotextiles, and then fill it with backfill. 
The best layer is 7 cm. Using the same technology, you can decorate huge free spaces. By combining decorative fills of different colors and fractions, you can achieve beautiful effects. To make the composition more diverse, you can add several expressive green plants.
To do this, an incision is made in the geotextile, and a plant is planted in the resulting hole. 
In addition, decorative fills can be used as an element of various decorative compositions - to create “stone screes” in rockeries, on alpine hills and on the shore of a garden pond. Sometimes decorative fills serve to highlight some specific plants. 
Mulching with organic materials can be good option when laying out a garden and planting perennials. It is known that immediately after planting is traditionally a losing proposition for most perennials. If you plant them at a distance that is best for their further development, soil will inevitably remain between the flowers.
But if you decorate these spaces, for example, wood chips, then the “bare earth” will look like part of the design idea, and your garden will take on a complete look. 
New trend in landscape design– decorative filling. If you saw something interesting like this design solution, then you will definitely want to do something similar in your garden.
Many companies offer this service. But this does not mean that you cannot make decorative filling yourself. And we, in turn, will try to reveal the most pressing issues in this topic.
Decorative filling - a new trend in landscape design
Decorative filling is a material that has a loose structure and is used for mulching the soil. Regarding sizes, fractions and other physical properties material, then it all depends on your desire. The most commonly used are:
- stone chips (in particular, marble and granite),
- pebbles (large and small),
- sand,
- shells,
- glass and plastic “balls”,
- bark, chopped wood, etc.
The purpose of decorative filling can be very different: from mulching the soil around trees to decorating garden paths or flower beds (rose gardens, rock gardens). Decorative filling can be used both in creating a pond and a “dry landscape” (design in Japanese style). With its help you can even “draw” a picture. One “but” - this will require some perseverance and a sense of beauty from you.
Decorative filling is useful not only for its aesthetic, but also for its practical properties. Thanks to it, the frequency of weeding flower beds or garden paths will be reduced. Concerning cultivated plants, then they receive undoubted benefits from decorative filling, especially in hot summers, because it reduces the level of evaporation of moisture from the ground. In addition, thanks to backfilling, the amplitude of daily soil surface temperature fluctuations decreases. Consequently, energy expenditure by plants to overcome stress associated with temperature fluctuations is reduced. This means that the plant blooms better and brighter or performs other decorative functions.
Types of decorative filling. Their pros and cons
Depending on the origin of materials used for filling, it is divided into two types:
- organic,
- inorganic.
Each fill has its own advantages and disadvantages, so when choosing, you need to carefully weigh and think through everything.
Organic filling
The most popular organic decorative fills include pine bark and cedar husks. Of course, it is almost impossible to create filling material yourself. This requires special machines and units. But buying it and using it in the landscape design of your dacha will not be difficult.
The main advantages of such materials are:
As for the disadvantages of this type of decorative filling, they are:
- fragility. The lower balls of the fill (if they are adjacent directly to the ground and are not separated from it by film or other waterproofing material) are prone to rotting, thereby acidifying the soil. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor the condition of such filling to prevent it from completely rotting.
- ease. Well-dried wood is easily transported by the wind. Therefore, it is useful to decorate the edges of the area with decorative backfilling with stones or other material that will hold it back in windy weather.
The combination of these properties means that organic decorative fill needs to be added from time to time. Thus, its constant quantity and quality are maintained.
Inorganic fill
Inorganic decorative fill is more often used in landscape design. As is already clear from the name, these are materials of inorganic origin. They, in turn, are divided into
Natural are materials obtained by man from environment without their chemical processing. These include:
- crushed stone is a material obtained by mechanically crushing stone. For this, different rocks are used - marble, granite, slate, quartzite. Due to this, crushed stone has a different structure and color scheme, which is convenient when creating multi-colored decorative filling;
- sand is a material characterized by a fine fraction. Both natural washed river or sea sand and those obtained by grinding marble, granite, expanded clay, shells, etc. are used;
- decorative gravel - small stones of various shapes, which are used mainly to design central paths (for example, the entrance to a summer cottage);
- pebbles - round, smooth small pebbles. They are of river or sea origin. It is sea pebbles that are especially valued. It can be used both on its own and in combination with artificial materials.
The advantages of these materials are their durability, as well as preservation decorative look and properties for quite a long time.
In addition, they require less maintenance than organic fill: weeds are pulled out more easily, and the material itself does not rot.
The main disadvantage is the difficulty in autumn cleaning. After all, if you have a crushed stone path running under bushes with small leaves, then over time a lot of leaves will be poured there.
Artificial decorative inorganic filling is a variety of colored and plastic “pebbles”. A person receives them thanks to chemical industry. This type of backfill comes in all the colors of the rainbow, making it especially useful for creating contrasting landscapes. Artificial filling also needs to be poured onto some kind of base - film, geotextile or something similar. This will make caring for her easier.
The pros and cons of artificial fill are similar to those of natural fill. It should only be added that it costs a little more. But this is covered by decorative properties.
Laying decorative backfill and rules for caring for it
Before filling the area with fill, you need to create a plan for its placement. After all, planning will help determine exactly how much material you need. For example: 1 m2 of area will require about 25 kg of wood, while gravel will require more than 50 kg. The reason is the different fractionalization and structural features of the materials.
The plan also needs to be marked different types filling, colors, boundaries of its location and other little things.
After all, you can’t keep everything in your memory, and, as they say, you can’t cut out what’s written with a pen with an axe.
If you use inorganic fill, you need to select a material for it. Geotextiles are best suited. It has all the necessary properties that help preserve decorative properties filling, as well as its quality. Ordinary film is also suitable for use. You just need to choose one with a thickness of at least 0.7 cm. After purchase, the film must be perforated. Through the resulting holes will flow excess water. This will ensure a longer life for your fill. As for organic fill, it does not require any additional support. This filling itself acts as a fertilizer for plants after rotting.
- Creation of markings on the site. It will help you make the filling as perfect as possible;
- Clearing the area of debris and weeds;
- Removing turf from the area of future dumping;
- Laying a lining under the fill (if inorganic is used);
- If planting is planned together with the backfill, at this stage you need to make the necessary holes in the backing and plant the plants in them.
- Cover the surface of the lining with a layer of 5 to 10 cm.
As for the care of the backfill, it includes the following procedures:
Decorative filling is innovative, but very interesting solution in landscape design. It allows you to “revive” the territory of the site even in cloudy autumn and early spring.
A video about creating decorative fill will help you become better acquainted with its principles and methods of creation.
Natural or artificial bulk materials used for mulching the soil can be used as decorative filling. Decorative filling is used quite widely in landscape design: in the construction of rose gardens, alpine slides, decorative ponds, Japanese stone gardens, for decorating garden paths and flower beds. Combining Various types and the color of the backfill, you can achieve a stunning decorative effect. In addition, mulching is beneficial for the soil; it protects the soil from excessive evaporation of moisture.
Types of decorative filling
In this section we have collected the most popular fills, which are most often used in landscape design.
Wood fills
Most often, pine bark and cedar husk are used in landscape design. Backfilling from tree bark– an environmentally friendly material that does not rot for a long time, and also does not lose its color when exposed to sun rays. Pine backfill fits perfectly into any design project. The second undoubted advantage of this material is its cost-effectiveness, since pine bark is a by-product of the woodworking industry.
Tree bark can be used in its original form, but most often it is given color with special environmentally friendly dyes. You should be careful when using colored husks: an incorrectly selected shade will not decorate your garden, but will lead to the opposite effect. Too much bright colors may not be compatible with general style gardens.
You need to understand that any wood fillings have a shorter service life than artificial ones. Sooner or later, the material will have to be replaced with a new one, and it is also necessary to add a new layer of bark every year. In addition, wood fills make the soil more acidic over time. Take this into account when selecting plants for the garden; for example, rhododendrons just need acidified soil.
Organic wood fill weighs little and is easily carried by the wind. Therefore, along the edges of the decorated area, low finishing is needed, for example, from stones or a border for the lawn. This will help prevent the wind from transferring the fill onto the grass.
Not only bark, but also other organic materials, for example, pine nut shells, as well as a mixture of peat and sand, can be used as natural filling.
Stone filling
Rock or inorganic fills include the following materials:
- Crushed stone - crushed stone chips of grant, marble, limestone, slate, etc.;
- Gravel – small stones of various shapes with sharp or rounded edges;
- Pebbles are small rounded stones; river pebbles are often used in landscape design;
- Expanded clay - oval porous stones obtained by firing low-melting clay;
- Sandstone – large heterogeneous gravel;
- Quartzite – beautiful stone with sharp edges;
- Slate - flat plates with relief;
- Serpentine - a gray-green stone with sharp edges, looks especially impressive after rain;
- Shungite is a matte black stone with sharp edges;
- Stone chips are small granules of stones of various types, marble is especially popular;
- Sand – marble or quartz pebbles of microscopic size;
- Seashells, artificial or natural;
- Rubber mulch is the most budget option;
- Artificial stones various colors, sizes and shapes.
Gravel is most often used in landscape design. This is not only a decorative, but also a functional topping; gravel is often used to decorate steps and the entrance to a site. It is also widely used in the decoration of ponds and alpine slides. Gravel maybe various forms and colors (black, green and grey). Due to its weight, gravel is not carried by the wind. In addition, this material helps retain heat in the underlying soil layer.
Granite chips are highly resistant to mechanical loads and temperature changes. The color can vary from gray to pink, depending on the composition of the breed. Granite chips glisten beautifully in the sun. It is better to use for arranging sports or children's playgrounds. granite screening, these are smaller stones with round edges.
Stone fills have an unlimited service life and do not require replacement or renewal of the layer. This type of garden decor requires almost no maintenance other than cleaning. Therefore, if you do not have enough time to care for your garden and cannot afford the services of a gardener, do not place decorative fill near deciduous trees. If you do not remove fallen leaves from the dump, they will form humus, which will allow weeds to sprout.
Rubber mulch is one of the most inexpensive inorganic materials. Rubber mulch is highly resistant to weeds, mold and mildew. In addition, it is a very soft material, so it is widely used in arranging playgrounds.
Use should not be avoided broken glass in landscape design. Contrary to the stereotype, the fill of broken glass has rounded edges. This material does not absorb moisture at all, so all water that gets on the topping flows into the soil.
Decorative functions
Garden fill is widely used in landscape design, here are the main ways of using it:
- Decor of garden paths;
- Decoration of flower beds and flower beds;
- Decorating the edges of a garden pond;
- Dry stream;
- Tree trunk circles;
- Alpine coaster
- Drawing pictures on the ground;
Fantasy landscape designer or the owner of the site may invent other ways to use the sprinkles.
Benefits for plants
The use of backfill in landscape design serves not only to decorate the garden, but also to normalize the microclimate. The soil under the filling layer is less susceptible to temperature fluctuations; in addition, the decorative layer prevents the evaporation of moisture from the soil surface. In addition, the soil under the mulch layer does not form a crust, that is, sufficient aeration occurs in the soil. Therefore, if plant roots lie under the backfill, then they are in comfortable conditions, which ensures best growth and flowering.
Instructions for use
Most often, garden fills are used to design paths and flower beds. In this case, laying the backfill is not particularly difficult and can be done independently:
- Determine the locations where the fill will be placed and develop a plan;
- Dig a shallow trench or hole (about 7 cm);
- Lay geotextiles or regular film on the bottom, but at least 7 millimeters thick;
- If necessary, make cuts in the geotextile or film and plant plants in them; holes must be pierced in the film for water drainage;
- Fill the hole with decorative fill.
Tips from landscape designers:
- Do not under any circumstances fill up the root collars of plants;
- It is best to apply the topping in the spring, in April or May, when the soil has already warmed up and filled with moisture;
- Before starting work, clear the surface of the site from weeds and debris.
You can combine fillings of various colors and shapes with each other, achieving amazing effects. For decor 1 sq. m of soil you will need approximately 25 kg of wood fill or 50 kg of stone. The use of organic backfill does not require geotextiles or film; it can be placed directly on the ground.
Aftercare
To maintain the decorative fill in proper condition, three procedures must be carried out regularly:
- Cleaning the surface from debris;
- Getting rid of sprouted weeds;
- Renewal of organic fill.
Performing these steps periodically is necessary to decorative surface did not lose its aesthetic purpose.
Conclusion
Applications for backfill can be found in almost any landscaping project. Using this material will help you add new touches to the look of your garden. The decorative effect of the sprinkling will be especially noticeable in spring and autumn, when there is no bright colors. A wide selection of materials will help you find perfect solution for any project, and the ease of installation will allow you to do the work yourself.