Enhancing your landscaping in Arizona can boost your property'svalue and curb appeal. Creating a stunning and easy-to-maintain yard in ourharsh, desert environment, though, typically means incorporating hardscapeelements like gravel, pavers, and stone that look flawless year-round.
While this may sound ideal, many inexperienced homeownersoften find that their hardscape projects do not pan out as expected.At Citiscapes, we specialize in luxury landscaping services throughout thePhoenix metropolitan area. Below, we cover common gravel landscapingmistakes to avoid when planning projects in your yard.
Selecting the Wrong Type of Gravel
Preventing costly errors begins with selecting theright materials. Here are the two main types of gravel you can typically choosefrom:
- Smooth stone: Smooth stones like river rocks and pea gravel have soft, rounded edges that prevent them from packing together neatly. Because of this, they're challenging to walk on but can be leveraged for style purposes, such as in edging materials or to address drainage issues.
- Crushed gravel: Crushed stones and decomposed granite have fractured, rough edges, allowing them to pack down easily. These rocks are ideal for walking pathways and landings, as they create a firm and more uniform surface.
Each type comes in a variety of sizes, offering variousadvantages, depending on your needs. Small gravel generally provides the mostuniform surface for easy walking or driving, while larger stones may offerbetter aesthetics.
Placing It Beneath Trees
One of the most common gravel landscaping mistakes we see iswhen homeowners decide to place stone features directly beneath vegetation.Trees and bushes produce a lot of debris that must be raked periodically tokeep your yard pristine. When these leaves fall on gravel, maintenance becomesa much larger and more complicated task, as the debris will mix into the rocks,ruining their appearance.
Choosing the Wrong Color
Gravel comes in a variety of colors, ranging from strikingreds to subdued grays and whites. The color of gravel you choose will have asignificant impact on your entire landscaping and your property's curb appeal.Expert landscaping designers can help you select colors that accent your homeand any surrounding natural features.
Failing To Contain It
Gravel migration can create a significant mess in your yardthat's challenging to reverse once it starts. This happens when you creategravel pathways or landings without proper edging, allowing materials to spillover into nearby garden areas, driveways, or pavement. Over time, your pathwaymay erode significantly, and you'll be left with an unsightly hazard.
Stone paths require appropriate edging to prevent thiscommon gravel landscaping mistake. Bricks, boulders, metal rails, or woodenfences can all help keep the gravel in its place. You may also consider gravelglue solutions that lock loose rocks in their place.
Forgetting the Underlayment
Improper installation is another common gravel landscapingmistake that can create significant issues over time. Gravel requires surfacepreparation to ensure an adequate weed barrier and a firm walking path thatwon't immediately erode.
Landscapers often lay down fabric sheeting before installinggravel to prevent weed growth. Next, they install a six-inch compact base ofcrushed rocks for stability. They will evenly rake this down before installingthe final top two to three-inch layer of the chosen gravel.
Skip These Common Gravel Mistakes byWorking With Our Landscaping Pros
Now you know which gravel landscaping mistakes to avoid whenrenovating your yard. For the best results, we recommend working withlandscaping experts who can help you select the right materials for yourproject and install them correctly for optimal longevity.
If you're interested in more landscaping tips, check out our helpful resources on a variety of relatedtopics. At Citiscapes, we transform outdoor spaces into luxurious livingareas for homeowners in Phoenix. If you're interested in upgrading yourlandscaping with gravel, call us at (602) 616-6938 to schedule aconsultation.
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