Decorative garden shingle has many other names. Gravel, chippings, stone, and pebbles to name some of them. Some people call this stone gravel, but gravel is always made from stone so putting the two together is not needed.
There are so many different types of stone made into decorative garden shingle. Limestone, Granite, Slate, Flint, Elvan, Sandstone, Quartz and resin bound gravel. All have their own texture and colours and some can be used for every type of application where as others are no good for certain things.
Take building foundations and driveways for example. Granite is a good shingle for this purpose as it is strong and durable, whereas Sandstone or Slate wouldn’t be very good as they are a weak and a brittle stone that breaks under minimal pressure.
It’s easy to create an effortless, stylish and beautiful outdoor space by using decorative shingle and stones. Bulk / dumpy bags are a good way to go if you’ve got a big area to fill, like a driveway or lots of winding pathways. Smaller bags are usually the easiest and cheapest option for the smaller areas like beds, borders and plant pots.
No one likes paying for something you’re not going to use, so make sure you get your measurements right. You can find many decorative stone gravel calculators online. Usually all you need to do is put your measurements in (width, length and depth you wish the stone to be) and it will tell you exactly how many bags of shingle or loose ton of decorative gravel you need.
Decorative shingle has been used for many years to spruce up landscapes and gardens. It is a low maintenance alternative to grass or soil, as there is next to no weeding/cleaning involved with its upkeep.
There are certain types of gravel that are best for certain areas. For driveways, you need a shingle that is hard wearing and not too small. The weight of vehicles can crush certain types of stone and if the stone is too small, it can get stuck into the treads of tyres and the soles of your shoes and make a big mess.
For pathways, you wouldn’t want to get anything too small as it will get stuck in the tread of shoes and cats may do their business in it if they mistake it for litter!
Beds and boarders there are no rules. You can use any kind, shape and size of stone you wish as in these places it will rarely get walked on. You could even go as far as mixing sizes and making a nice rockery, mixing bigger stones and decorative gravel around the area and planting with some rockery plants.
The only rules you need to stick to with gravelled areas is considering the amount and weight of the traffic on it and whether or not it will get stuck in your tyres/shoes. Other than that, have fun creating a wonderful outside landscape with any size, shape and colour gravel you wish.