Decorative backfill. The use of gravel in the garden, dumping options Filling the bark of a flower bed

ornamental plants are undoubtedly the main decoration of the garden. However, there are other materials that can decorate the landscape. These can be various stones, fences, small architectural forms, as well as decorative dumping, which have become increasingly popular in recent years. Decorative dumping is called bulk materials of various fractions used for decorative soil mulching. It can be stone chips, large and small gravel, pebbles, shells, sand, wood chips (including painted), bark, pine nut shells, as well as artificial decorative “pebbles” made of glass or plastic.

As a decorative backfill, natural or artificial bulk materials used for soil mulching can be used. Decorative filling is used in landscape design quite widely: in the construction of rose gardens, alpine slides, ornamental ponds, Japanese stone gardens, to decorate 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 good for the soil, it protects the soil from excessive evaporation of moisture.

The use of various decorative dumps in the landscape design of the site can completely transform appearance your possessions. A number of decorative compositions - a Japanese "dry" landscape, a rock garden or rockery, a sandy garden, a landscape pond - are almost unthinkable without some kind of dumping. In addition, they can be used to create paths and patios, and for decorating flower beds, and for many other purposes.

Mulching the soil under the plants protects it from excessive evaporation of moisture. And using colored decorative chips in the garden, multi-colored glass, filling with crushed stone of various fractions and shades, you can achieve completely unusual effects.

Among these dumps, the most popular are cedar husks and pine bark. First of all, the advantages of pine bark include a long service life: the bark does not rot for a long time (especially large fractions), does not burn out. Still, such backfilling is an environmentally friendly material that fits into landscape compositions.

Wood chips and cedar husks are dyed different colors and thus provide ample scope for color experimentation in the garden. Staining of wood chips is made with environmentally friendly paints. Of course, using colorful wood chips in the garden should be done with care: both the color of the mulch and the composition should be consistent with the surroundings.

Too bright colors of colored wood chips are out of place in landscape compositions. But a variety of colorings will allow you to create colored soft tracks. The indisputable common advantage of these dumps is their cheapness. These materials themselves are inexpensive, and some of them (chips, bark) are by-products of wood processing industries.

When using organic fills in flowerbeds, in circles of trees - wherever they are laid directly on the ground - you need to keep in mind that over time, the rotting bottom layer of mulch changes the composition of the soil. Most of the organic dumps acidify the soil. For some plants, this property of decorative dumping can be an advantage - for example, for rhododendrons.

When laying decorative filling on the ground, it is advisable to add a small amount of material every year - firstly, this will allow you to maintain the appearance, and secondly, it provides compensation for decay.

Another unusual type of mulching are cones. Filling from them is well suited for decorating the near-trunk circles of coniferous plants and as a supplement to mulching with bark. Compositions with filling from such a mix imitate coniferous undergrowth well, adding naturalness to the garden.

It must be understood that any wood dumping has 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. Consider this when choosing plants for the garden, for example, rhododendrons just need acidified soil.

Organic wood litter weighs little and is easily carried by the wind. Therefore, a low finish is needed along the edges of the decorated area, for example, from stones or a lawn edge. This will help to avoid transferring the fill to the grass from the effects of wind.

Inorganic fills are great for decorating ponds, alpine slides, rockeries and sandy gardens. With the help of waves, stripes and circles of gravel and crumbs, you can accentuate showy plant; for this, filling is chosen in contrast with the color of the leaves and flowers. Large surfaces covered with a homogeneous material of the same color, or a combination of areas of contrasting colors, look most impressive. Stone dumps are divided into gravel, pebbles and crumbs, depending on the size and shape of the pebbles.

The advantage of inorganic deposits lies primarily in their long service life. Gravel filling does not crumble, does not change its appearance. Stone fills require almost no maintenance. In addition, gravel filling protects the soil from overheating and water does not linger.

finely crushed natural stone has prickly sharp or
rounded surfaces. There is mono-mineral gravel, for example, from granite, and mixtures different breeds: granite, sandstone, slate, marble and quartzite. It has many shades, which allows you to harmoniously "fit" it into any landscape design. Does not retain air and moisture, the soil under it does not overheat. The material is durable, does not fade, relatively
inexpensive.

It is a rounded small stones, rounded and polished by river or sea ​​wave. As a backfill, decorative pebbles are used - river, beige and sandy colors, and sea "shell rock" - gray, beige, brown and light pink. There is also man-made pebbles made in a special stone-working machine. For its manufacture use
marble, granite, gneiss, quartzite, slate. From flagstone, pebbles are flat, and if the source material was rubble, it is voluminous. There are many multi-colored pebbles in pebbles, it is very decorative. The material is smooth, forms surfaces with a soft texture. Pebbles have a long service life and require almost no maintenance. The cost of all kinds of pebbles is enough
high.

This is the smallest of the materials of the "stone" line: from 2.5 to 6 mm. There is granite, marble, quartzite chips, from anthracite, siltstone, shungite, etc. Natural granite chips - a mixture of sand, gray and reddish shades. Dyed comes in all colors, from dandelion yellow to Prussian blue, but it is much more expensive than natural blue. It must be borne in mind that under granites and shales, the soil acidifies quite quickly. In shady areas of the garden, you can not use marble chips, moss and mold quickly attack it there. In addition, the crumb eventually “leaks” into the ground, so it’s better to put geotextiles under it, and protect it from spilling with a curb.

Dumping from other materials

As a spectacular addition, you can use unusual types of dumping, such as seashells and colored glass. They are especially beautiful in the design of reservoirs and dry streams. Small glass balls of blue, green and purple
flowers look very original with white shells and large bluish-gray pebbles.

Use of dumps in the landscape

The most widespread decorative dumping received in the design of paths and patios. However, they can also be used as a decorative mulch in flowerbeds, as a low-maintenance alternative to lawns, and for decorating tree trunks.

To create paths, all types of decorative fillings (including organic ones) can be used. To form such a path, a shallow pit is dug, geotextiles are laid (to prevent weeds from sprouting from the soil), after which the backfill is poured. The optimal layer is about 7-10 centimeters. So that the path does not “spread”, you can strengthen its edges - for example, lay them out with a stone of a larger fraction.

Using the same technology, you can also decorate large free spaces(as an alternative to a lawn or, for example, as an element of a Japanese dry garden). By combining dumping of different colors and fractions, you can achieve interesting effects. To diversify the composition, you can add one or two expressive green plants to it. To do this, a crosswise incision is made in the geotextile, a plant is planted in the resulting hole.

In addition, dumping can also be used as elements of various decorative compositions - for example, to create "stone screes" on alpine hills, in rockeries, on the shore of a reservoir. Sometimes dumping can serve to emphasize and highlight certain specific plants. In this case, it is a good idea to choose a backfill that contrasts in color with the foliage of the plant.

Decorative mulching with organic materials can also be an excellent option when establishing a garden and planting perennials. As you know, the first or second years after planting are traditionally losing for most perennials.

If you plant them at a distance that is optimal for their further growth and development, bare ground will inevitably remain between the flowers, which most gardeners do not like so much. However, if you decorate these spaces, for example, with wood chips, then the “voids” will look like part of the design idea, and the garden as a whole will take on a complete look.

In contact with

Time moves inexorably forward, new ideas of use appear various materials. Alpine slides, rockeries, once seemed to us something unusual and difficult to implement. Earlier in squares and parks one could see a sculpture, a flower bed or a fountain in the center of the poured gravel. However, now, keeping up with the times, we understand that everything is not so difficult, we begin to experiment.

The use of gravel in the garden is becoming more popular. This material is an integral part of the design. Gravelling is done by dry gardens and garden paths. This is an excellent material with which you can and should work. He possesses various form(angular, oval), color (black, red, yellow, gray, orange, green) and size. Depending on the weather, be it sun, fog or rain, its appearance also changes. Gravel is also often used as drainage when planting or for mulching in hot weather to keep the soil cool. They are added to the foundation to reduce the consumption of cement-sand mortar and increase the life of the building. They are made of gravel, which serve as a dividing border or simply as a spectacular decorative element.

Translated from French, the word gravel means coarse sand, the particles of which are larger than 1 mm. It is formed during the destruction of a mountain range, and is polished by the water flow of a river, stream or sea. Rounded pebbles always have impurities, which is why their strength depends. Crushing is carried out industrially depending on the intended use, for construction works or for decorative purposes. Fractions can have a size of 1-3 mm, 3-5 mm, 5-10 mm, 10-20 mm, 20-40 mm, 40-70 mm.

To create a gravel garden, stones of the same size are used, or stones of different fractions are selected for greater expressiveness. The smaller the size, the easier and more comfortable it is to walk on it. Usually stones up to 10 mm are combined with larger ones.

Advantages of gravel are undeniable, especially if we take into account such an aspect as the fact that this is an inexpensive environmentally friendly material. At correct styling does not interfere with air exchange, due to which the root system of plants under it develops at a normal pace.

A decorative material that is equally beautiful in any weather. They can decorate any problematic area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe garden, where this cannot be done with the help of planting, whether it be swampy, impenetrable shade or scarcity of soil. It looks great paired with wood, glass, moss, metal, which allows you to build a wide variety of compositions.

It does not require skill and is easy to care for.

Gravel Disadvantages

And yet they are - it takes a lot of time and physical strength to work with gravel. However, this is not such a weighty argument to refuse to work with the material. But here are the other nuances that can be the subject of refusal from it:

- it is unpleasant to walk on gravel, especially for older people or small children;

- you can’t ride a bicycle or children’s cars on gravel;

- it is difficult to carry a wheelbarrow;

- it is impossible to clear snow and ice in winter;

- - dangerous for gravel, they will spoil the whole appearance of the garden;

- in autumn, under the trees, a lot of foliage will fall on the gravel, which will complicate cleaning and pollute the stones themselves;

- over time, the gravel becomes clogged and its cleaning will be problematic.

How to make a gravel garden

To create such a corner, you first need to carry out a number of works: clear the place of weeds and debris, make markings. Next, you need to remove the top layer of soil (15-20 cm), lay drainage from sand or fine gravel at the bottom. If the site is sandy or loamy, then you can do without drainage. Pour herbicide-treated soil on top to reduce weed growth. When preparatory work finished, correct the relief and leave to lie down. If the gravel garden is made on a slope, then the angle of inclination should not exceed 10 °, otherwise the gravel will begin to sink over time. In this case, the site is divided into terraces.

When the earth is compacted, we lay a black permeable film (lutrasil, agril), it will not allow weeds to germinate. If you use a regular thick film, be sure to make holes in it so that water does not accumulate, but goes into the ground. In terms of area, it should take up more space than the relief of the garden itself.

Now we start planting plants by making cruciform holes in the film. We unfold the edges so that we get squares, replace the soil in them with fertile soil and plant plants in the hole.

Suitable for planting in a gravel garden: yarrow, tansy, bergenia, stonecrop, phlox, perennial aster, sedum, hosta, thyme, creeping ground cover and others. From tall:, goldenrod, monarda. From trees and shrubs: juniper, fir, cypress, spirea,. For a gravel garden in the shade interesting option can become moss in combination with ferns. But then such elements of rutaria as must be present. Choose plants depending on their characteristics (moisture-loving, drought-resistant) and your desire to care for them. At the end, fill all the gaps with gravel, starting from the most distant place. The gravel layer should be at least 5 cm. Before backfilling, it is advisable to wash the stones with water to remove the remnants of weeds and pathogens. Don't be alarmed if the gravel garden seems empty by the time you finish the job, over time the plants will grow and you can make adjustments.

How to do garden path gravel

Outline the boundaries of the future track using pegs and nylon thread. Fill the inner part with a layer of sand (15 cm), lay a layer of building rubble (15 cm) on top and finish filling with a layer of gravel with a fraction of up to 1 cm. creeping gravel on the sides. You need to put it a little higher. At the end of the work, spill the gravel garden path with water, tamp all layers well again and enjoy the work done. The average track width is usually 1 m.

The presence of free space on the site is an excellent reason to diversify the landscape, supplementing it with an unusual flowerbed of crushed stone or gravel. Such a flower garden will not cause problems in the care process and will become an effective element of decor, it can be arranged exactly as you want, thanks to the convenience source material. A flower bed made of rubble with your own hands - great option even for inexperienced gardeners. Everyone will be able to create a real work of landscape art, showing imagination.

What is a gravel bed

A gravel flower garden is a piece of land of small or medium size, the space of which, with the exception of the place for planting plants, is completely covered with rubble. The selection of plants for such a flower bed depends on the overall design of the garden, but most often gardeners choose perennials of an evergreen or decorative deciduous type. herbaceous annual plants they are used much less often, because with them the flower bed will quickly lose the desired decorative effect.

Important! Gravel is able to reduce the evaporation of water from the soil and can reduce the frequency of watering plants, in the summer it prevents the soil from heating up, and in the winter it protects from frost. This versatile material also limits the growth of weeds.

Flowers in flowerpots will also look beautiful if you include them in the composition of a gravel bed. Pots can be dug into the soil and sprinkled with the smallest stones, or simply set securely on the surface of the gravel fill. One of the main advantages of such a gravel flower bed with your own hands is the ability to change the location of flowerpots at your discretion and at any time. A huge number of flowerbed design options based on crushed stone allows you to create a flower garden of any type.

Advantages and disadvantages of flower beds with rubble

Flowerbeds made of large rubble or fine gravel look original and interesting, this 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 as you wish. A large number of pluses makes such flower beds more popular among gardeners looking for non-standard design solutions for their plots:

• does not require serious care due to the absence of weeds, because they are based on a backfill of stones;
• flower beds can be planted anywhere in the territory, in the shade or in the sun, on a sloping surface or plain;
• can be of any size, shape or decor;
• allow watering and fertilizing plantings much less often;
• give the garden a well-groomed appearance, are an original element of the landscape.

An additional bonus is the low price of the material and its environmental friendliness, it protects the root system of planted plants by blocking air exchange. Gravel finishes are easy to create and work well with other materials such as wood, moss or metal.

Of the minuses of filling the 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 gravel bed

To make a flower bed with rubble with your own hands in a country house or a plot of a house, 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 work, you will also need to purchase a special mulch canvas with fasteners, a weed membrane and containers for planting.

Soil preparation

First of all, you need to choose a suitable area where gravel flower beds will be located, and determine its boundaries using pegs with a stretched rope. On the site, the top layer of earth with a depth of at least 20 cm should be removed, 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 earth must be watered and left for up to a week until sprouts appear, then remove them.

Important! Decorating flower beds with gravel is not only beautiful, but also profitable. The garden always looks well-groomed with them, and the plants are reliably protected from weeds and other adverse factors under a layer of gravel.

After harvesting the weeds and preparing the land, the site is dug up, adding expanded clay or coarse sand in the process. Next, the earth is compacted with a garden roller and covered with the first layer of mulch cloth, which will prevent subsidence of gravel and the growth of perennial weeds. When the area is completely covered with fabric, it will be necessary to make holes in it every 3 square meters. m. to remove excess water. In the process of decorating a flower bed with gravel, such measures will help create a perfectly even layer.

Preparing a site for planting

To prepare the site, you will need to make holes for planting in the geotextile material, having previously determined how many plants you plan to grow in the flower garden. The holes must match the dimensions of the planting containers. In each of them you need to dig a small hole, fill it with earth 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 solid or colored gravel for beds from the planting site.

Advice! Gravel is best combined with small coniferous trees, palm plants, azaleas, yuccas, maples, hydrangeas and ornamental grass. They can be advantageously combined, forming interesting compositions.

You can also plant plants after decorating the flower beds with gravel, for this you need to remove excess gravel in places for planting. Then make holes in the mulch sheet, bend its edges down and make a hole in the soil for the seedling. After that, plants are planted in the prepared holes, sprinkled with a layer of earth and watered after the distribution of the excavated gravel.

How to fill a flower bed with rubble

To properly lay decorative gravel in a flower bed, you need to prepare the soil and level its surface. Next, the gravel is evenly distributed on 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 crushed stone gaps with the soil. It is better to make the layer thicker so that the 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 suited for rhododendrons and azaleas.

The function of the first layer is to drain 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 backfilling of the decorative layer, with which the geotextile is masked, it must be completely hidden under plain or colored gravel for flower beds. At this stage, the composition of the flower garden is also formed, taking into account the pre-designed pattern design.

How to paint crushed stone for a flower bed with your own hands

Ordinary rubble can be turned into decorative by painting it in different colors depending on the design of the flower garden. The technology for coloring crushed stone for a flower bed is not difficult; when choosing high-quality dyes, the stones retain their original color for a long time. For them, a special aerosol enamel in cylinders is suitable, as well as acrylic or alkyd-type paints.

The process consists of several stages:

1. Selected stones must be thoroughly washed.
2. Paint each stone on one side and the other in desired color while waiting for the paint to dry.
3. 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 with coloring each stone is suitable for processing a small amount. When there is a lot of gravel, it is poured into a large container and the paint is poured on top, carefully mixing the stones. For these purposes, a concrete mixer is well suited. Flowerbeds with white gravel look no less impressive, but often site owners prefer a more original decor.

What plants to plant in a gravel bed

The versatility of a gravel bed allows for a variety of plants different types. When choosing them, it is necessary to take into account the overall design of the landscape and the selected decor of the flower bed. Lot owners can make a gravel bed without grass or use coniferous plants. On light gravel, cypress trees, boxwood, yucca, yews and Rogers look especially beautiful.

Shrubs with bright and variegated foliage will also look spectacular, for example, Fortune's spindle tree, hydrangeas, Thunberg's barberry and others.

There are many types of plants that can be used in the composition, for example, a gravel bed with conifers is considered the most popular option. It is easier to remember which ones are better not to choose, these are fast-growing plantings and plants that require frequent transplants.

Photo ideas of flower beds with decorative gravel (gravel)

The number of ideas for decorating flower beds with rubble is limited only by the imagination of the site owner. Below are the most interesting and non-standard gravel beds with photos, which are easy to do step by step with your own hands using colored or plain gravel.

Conclusion

Making a flower bed with colored gravel, 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 house plots have long been using with pleasure. Beautiful flower bed from crushed stone with their own hands will please their appearance for a long time, and will also become a wonderful decoration of the landscape, if you arrange it correctly and tastefully.

The use of dumps in the landscape - organic mulch, chipped or rounded small stones, sand, etc. - literally transforms household plot. They can be used very widely - from paving paths and patios to decorating flower beds. Where accuracy is especially in demand, they cannot be dispensed with.

Mulching (namely, this is the name of the use of dumping of any kind) has a long history, its own traditions and laws. ABOUT useful properties every gardener knows mulch: it helps to almost completely exterminate weeds; protects the soil from night frosts in the spring and autumn and from deep freezing in winter (for example, in places covered with nutshells it will be 10-15 cm, and in uncovered places - 20-25 cm or more); prevents overheating, drying and caking of the surface layers of the earth. In addition, some dumps can serve as a source of necessary substances for the soil (for example, needles can, where necessary, increase its acidity), create a barrier for pests and stimulate the reproduction of beneficial microorganisms.

The principles of using dumps change significantly over time. Their transformation is spurred both by the emergence of innovative materials and the birth of new styles. And if, say, in formal gardens (French, Italian, Moorish styles) they diligently sought to get rid of weeds by mulching large areas, then in naturgarden gardens, on the contrary, they welcome the invasion of wild plants and use dumping in a completely different context and in limited quantities - for example , to bring color to the garden palette.

All mulching materials are divided into organic and inorganic.

Colored decorative dumping is an invariable attribute of the design of alpine slides, rockeries, "dry streams" in Japanese gardens. With the help of bulk stone "mosaics", ornaments and panels, you can exclusively decorate the zone of fountains, water cascades, the banks of miniature artificial ponds

organic dumps

These include widely used wood chips and bark, fallen needles, cones, pine nut shells, forest and marsh moss. Peat, hay, straw and rotted leaves are also included here, but the difference is that they are no longer used for decorative purposes, but purely for pine nut shell benefits of the cause - as a fertilizer that simultaneously retains moisture in the soil and eliminates the growth of weeds.

Organic dumping is a real find for those who want to save money while creating a beautiful and well-groomed garden. Okorje, technological chips, peat, shells, sphagnum - all these materials are either inexpensive in themselves, or are industrial waste from various industries, which also makes them quite cheap. And coniferous litter, spruce, pine or cedar cones, if possible, are generally easy to pick up on your own while walking through the forest, and in any quantities.

Perhaps the most popular variant of mulch - bark of Siberian pine and larch, so to speak, a by-product of woodworking enterprises. In the process of harvesting, the material is exposed to high-temperature effects, due to which it does not contain pests, microbes, and foreign impurities. It is especially good to use the bark for filling all conifers, heathers, rhododendrons, ferns. The bark rots for a long time and may not lose its decorative properties for two to three years. Sometimes it is dyed using only natural pigments.

Getting chips for dumping

Chips (sawdust, shavings) obtained from the trunks and stumps of trees. Like bark, it can be dyed with organic dyes ( color palette- from yellow to black), although in itself it is very decorative. It is an environmentally friendly material, most often made from hardwood wood. If you have a vegetable waste shredder in your arsenal of garden equipment, then you can make your own mulch chips from tree branches cut when thinning crowns.

Mulch from bark and wood chips is poured with a layer of 5-10 cm around the plants, leaving a small distance to the stems free for air circulation. Weeds must first be removed and the soil loosened. If a layer of geotextiles will be used, then you need to remove the sod, select the top layer of soil (to a depth of 10 cm for flower beds, 20-25 cm for trees and 15-20 cm for shrubs) and put complex fertilizers into the loose soil of the bottom. Then the site is leveled, lightly tamped, geotextiles are laid and mulch is laid. It is recommended to install a low but solid border along the backfill border - so it will not spread beyond the trunk circle or mixborder and gradually litter the lawn.

If the site is sunny, the layer of mulch can be quite thick, but in those places where there is always a shadow, it is better to make the filling thinner - otherwise water will stagnate under it for a long time and the roots of the plants will begin to rot

Pine nut shell

Excellent mulch is obtained from shells of pine nuts. Such filling promotes the development of beneficial microflora in the root system of plants, prevents soil erosion, and has good moisture and air permeability. Since the composition of the shell includes substances such as lignin, phytoncides, flavonoids, it does not rot and decompose for a long time and retains its decorative effect for five years, you only need to add a fresh portion of the material from time to time, and gently loosen the surface with a rake in spring.

In flower beds, shells cover the entire space between plants. Sod is removed under shrubs and trees (within a radius of at least 50 and 80-100 cm, respectively), the soil is dug up to a depth of 20-30 cm, compacted a little and covered with mulch with a layer of 7 to 15 cm. After that, so that it is not swept away by the wind, the shell should be spilled with water and lightly trampled.

In the spring, when cleaning the site after winter, decorative dumping should be renewed: they are slightly loosened, leveled and, if necessary, a fresh portion of the material is added. First of all, this is required by organic mulch, since in three to four years its lower layers rot, and it sags.

Decorative filling of the trunk circle

The disadvantage of the shell is that it is an excellent food for rodents, birds, which will attract them to plantings. The decorative properties of dumps of organic origin often make us forget about the caution of their use, and yet they all change the properties of soils in one way or another. For example, peat, needles, pine and especially spruce cones affect the agrochemical characteristics of the soil - as agricultural technicians say, they acidify it. Therefore, they can mulch only those plants that benefit from increased acidity - in particular, these are any conifers, heather, rhododendrons, hydrangea, blueberries - or use them in combination with fallen leaves, hay, ash. In addition, along with coniferous litter and cones, you can bring to the site fungal diseases(rust, root rot, etc.), and they will easily spread from mulch to garden crops. Pre-treatment of the mulching material with fungicidal preparations will help protect against this.

From shells, tree bark and wood chips, you can not only make decorative filling in flower beds, beds and tree trunks, but also create soft cover on recreation areas and trails-paths in the depths of the garden. This process is not particularly laborious. It is necessary to remove 10-15 cm of the top layer of soil, compact the base well and cover it with mulch. If the soil moisture is high here, it is better to first arrange drainage in the form of a gravel cushion 5-10 cm thick, and then fill it on top of it.

Properties and approximate price of various organic dumps

inorganic deposits

The most common inorganic deposits are gravel, pebbles, crushed stone (stone chips), sand. Expanded clay, due to its unpretentious "appearance" and literal weightlessness (easily washed off with water), is used more for drainage, and not for decorative purposes, however, if you show imagination, he can contribute to creating the image of the garden.

Options for inorganic backfills

In small quantities, other inert materials- for example, shells, glass pebbles (artificial soil) popular in the aquarium hobby, plastic granulate or colored (environmentally friendly paints) bottle caps. True, their use should be limited by considerations of common sense and, above all, safety: it makes sense to make such dumping on high flower beds, be sure to surround it with a fence and assign them the role of certain accents rather than a background cover.

Inorganic dumps are good because they have a long service life, are not blown up by the wind and are not washed away by rains, and do not affect the composition of the soil in any way. However, they also have their drawbacks - it is difficult to remove small debris from such coatings, and besides, they do not accumulate water. The exception here is sand, which perfectly retains moisture, thereby creating a favorable microclimate near the surface of the earth.

Sand- most available material widely used in landscaping adjoining territories. In addition to the usual quarry, washed and sifted river sand is sold, quartz (white and tinted with safe polymer dyes in all colors of the rainbow), calcined, intended for children's playgrounds, sandboxes and creating beach areas. Quality product does not contain impurities and has a homogeneous structure with the declared particle fraction (up to 1 or up to 3 mm).

The main advantage of inorganic mulch is durability, appearance and maintenance-free

The size of the stones used as backfills varies from 2 to 70 mm.

Especially popular with buyers is river and sea pebble, but it is relatively expensive and not available everywhere. However modern market offers its artificial counterpart. Moreover, this is not a polymer in its pure form, but a material that also contains natural components - quartzite, marble, gypsum. A wide color palette and the ability to imitate rare, and even unprecedented in nature, rock types are achieved thanks to coloring pigments.

Unlike rounded pebbles, gravel can be both smooth, rounded shapes, and angular. Natural shades - pinkish, beige, blue - make it attractive enough to be used in landscape design. Quite often, gravel filling is included in a composition made from different types stones.

Even at the design stage, it is necessary to consider: will the planned composition withstand annual climate changes? You can invest a lot of money in a high-quality project and special effects, but, for example, a normal spring flood will mix with the soil or simply wash away expensive stone fill in the coastal zone of a pond or stream. The solution in this case may be the use of a special gravel film. If you lay out the coast with such material, then in the spring all the gravel will remain in the same place, despite the sharp change in the water level.

The widest decorative potential has stone chips, which is produced from a variety of rocks - marble, granite, limestone, quartzite, solar goldite, spotted emerald serpentine, multi-colored felsite, etc. The material is obtained by crushing, so the stones have an irregular shape and sharp chips, however, subjected to mechanical polishing - tumbling, they become completely smooth. In garden plots, tumbled crumb is preferable to untreated gravel, since it cannot injure a child, does not injure a dog's paws, and does not puncture a bicycle tire.

One of the main functions of stone fills is covering the blind area and footpaths, and not only secondary, as in the case of organic mulch, but also lying in the front part of the garden. (For car access, it is better to lay a hard tile or concrete canvas: cars slip on a loose coating, it is difficult to clean it from snow and ice.)