Making Sure Your Garden Flourishes

If you're looking for a natural way to keep pests out of your home, consider installing a border of gravel around your house. Gravel eliminates hiding places for mice, and it's less attractive to insects than mulch that decomposes. This project will require a lot of gravel, but you can have gravel delivered, so it's easy to use. Here are some ideas for buying and using gravel as foundation landscaping.

Look At Your Choices In Gravel

You may not need to visit the landscaping company in person if they have a website and you can look at the different types of gravel they sell. However, you might want to go in person just to see the different sizes, shapes, and colors of gravel. You can get crushed stone, which is a powdery mix with tiny rocks in it, or you can get gravel in large chunks.

Gravel is mostly white, tan, or gray, and it usually has jagged edges since gravel is rock fragments. Pea gravel is a good choice for foundation landscaping since it has an attractive appearance, but it's technically a rock, which is why it has smooth edges.

Calculate What You Need

Determining how much gravel you need is a matter of measuring the width and length of the border you want to create and then determining how deep you want the gravel. If you want to create patterns in the gravel using different colors, your calculations will be more difficult and you might need help from the gravel company so you have the right amount delivered and ready for your project.

Once you've placed your order, the gravel will be delivered and dumped where you specify. You can move the gravel where you need it with a wheelbarrow or garden wagon.

Get Other Supplies Too

When you create a border around your house, you'll need more than just gravel. It's a good idea to put down weed fabric so weeds won't spring up between the gravel. You'll also want edging to make a clear line between the rocks and grass and so it's easier to mow close to the gravel.

Create The Gravel Border

Measure off the area for your border, clear weeds and grass from the area, put down weed fabric, install the edging, and fill the area with gravel. You'll have a border around your house that helps control pests while adding a bit of beauty and contrast to your yard too.

Installing a gravel border is a fairly easy project, especially since you can have the gravel delivered in bulk and not have to transport it home a few bags at a time in the trunk of your car.

To get started or to learn more, contact a local gravel delivery service.