Stones for landscape design: decoration ideas

Very often various stones are used in the design of landscape design. They can be natural or artificial, of various colors and sizes. It is thanks to the use in the design of various stones that a harmonious and beautiful composition can be achieved.

To date, a huge selection of a variety of stones is on sale, which makes it possible to embody any interesting decor ideas on the garden plot.

There are many ideas on how to apply various stones to create a landscape design. For example, they can be used to create flower beds in the country, paths and paths, decor fountains, waterfalls, facing arbors and walls of the house, to create a pond, as well as sculptures for the garden.The use of stones is always appropriate in the formation of alpine slides and to create a landscape design in the Japanese style - in combination with conifers and lamps it will look very impressive and beautiful.

All stones in landscape design can be divided into two large groups - depending on their origin, they can be natural or artificial. The cost of stones will depend on this criterion.

There are many different stones - both natural and artificial - that can be used for arranging and decorating the site - each type of material is suitable for a specific purpose.

If you want to use natural stone to decorate your plot, first of all you need to be guided when choosing a grade on its properties and characteristics.

The most important requirements for this material is its strength, on which the durability of the created design will depend.It is also important that the natural stone has an attractive appearance, then the design you create will be beautiful and unique.

Let us consider in more detail the properties of natural stones.which are often involved in landscape design:

• Granite - this stone incorporates many components: natural mica, quartz and spar. This variety is considered universal and has a fairly wide area of ​​use. The color of the stones can be different: in graphite, gray and green tones. Sometimes it may also contain blotches of light pink, red, orange or blue. The stone is very attractive in appearance, and also has excellent performance characteristics, which is why the cost of the material is quite high;

• Gneiss - has a composition similar to granite, but differs in color. This stone also has high strength, can be used to form the side fence;

• Basalt - The nature of its occurrence - volcanic lava. It has a porous structure. It is found in greyish, smoky green, ashy shades. It has the same high strength as granite.Can be used to design an alpine slide;

• Sandstone - The stone has a sedimentary origin, it includes such substances as quartzite and carbonate. The presence in the composition of iron ore makes the material very durable. The color of the mineral includes white, red, beige, green, brown and gray shades;

• Slate - The nature of origin can be both metamorphic and sedimentary. This natural material has a surprisingly beautiful varied color in gray, graphite, burgundy, blue, yellow and red shades. The most valuable are those specimens that have different natural patterns;

• Limestone - beautiful, but short-lived mineral. It has a sedimentary nature. Its disadvantage is that it can easily crumble. However, in the landscape, it looks spectacular and contrasting with the design of the green zone, since the mineral itself has beautiful golden-yellow shades;

• Marble - The structure of this stone is crystalline. The material is quite durable, but nevertheless is inferior in its characteristics to granite and gneiss. It has a bright color, it is also quite easy to handle, giving the desired shape;

• Porphyry - high strength material of reddish shades.Due to its characteristics suitable for universal use. However, it is difficult to process and crush;

• Tuff - a stone with a porous structure, not heavy and soft to the touch. It has a unique property to absorb moisture, which is sometimes necessary when designing a landscape design.

The main advantage of artificial stones is their low cost compared to natural ones.

The most common are:

• Brick - this material was widely popular many years ago. May have different shades, different color saturation. It has good characteristics, strong enough and resistant to damage. Thanks to these properties, it is widely popular in landscape design;

• Concrete - very durable artificial material. Through the use of special additives can be achieved various interesting colors.

• Glowing stones can be attributed to a separate group of artificial stone, developed by the most innovative technologies. On sale, they appeared not so long ago, so today they are still rarely found in landscape design, but they are gradually gaining increasing popularity.Thanks to the use of this type of stones, it will be possible to enjoy the beautiful landscape design not only in sunlight, but also at night. This decor makes the atmosphere fabulous and cozy.

There are the following types of glowing stones:

• Hollow tank in which the LEDs are embedded. Such products are distinguished by their very long service life - about ten years. However, the cost of products is quite high. In daylight, the stones look like translucent glass fragments;
• Plastic products, inside which are catalysts. Such devices are very affordable, easy to maintain - they charge themselves during the daytime from solar energy. You will only need to periodically wash away a layer of dust from the stones, this can be done with ordinary water, and then leave the product to dry. In addition, the plastic stone is quite light, and in daylight it is as similar in appearance as a natural stone;
• Natural and artificial stones can also be painted with paints containing luminescent particles. Using this method, you can independently turn any design elements into a decor that will glow in the dark.After the paint is completely dry, you can cover the product with varnish on top, which protects the luminous coating from various natural influences.

The size of the stones can be divided into the following groups:

• Stone crumb - this decorative material is most popular with designers, since it can be used to decorate even the most complex surfaces of any shape. Stone crumb is often used in the design of parks, as well as areas for private houses. For the manufacture of screenings, rocks undergo a crushing procedure. Suitable for this are stones such as marble, quartz, jasper and others. Stone chips - durable, reliable, inexpensive and affordable material, which is widely represented on the market in a variety of colors;

• River pebbles - formed under the influence of water, which for a long time grinds ordinary stones, making them smooth. Most often used in the design of fountains, waterfalls and ponds - those decorative elements that contain water. Pebbles come in different sizes and colors.Larger pebbles are called pellets;

• Boulders and boulders - also very popular and very often used in landscape design. They have rather large sizes, differ in various forms. The blocks have an acute angular shape, and the boulders are rounded, similar to river pebbles, only of very large sizes. Boulders and boulders become central figures in the composition and attract the main attention to themselves. They are able to emphasize the power and beauty of nature;

• Cobblestones - have a streamlined shape and medium size;

• Rubble - formed during the mining of ore. The size and shape of the material may be different, it will depend on the grinding method used.

When arranging the landscape for the dacha, it is necessary to carefully select different stones for the realization of each specific idea. Listen to the recommendations of experts and choose those types of stones that have the necessary properties and characteristics, in this case, the design you create will please you for a very long time. When choosing stones, also consider the size of your land, if it is not very large, then it is better to choose stones of medium and small sizes.

It will not be difficult to create a decor for a landscape made of artificial or natural stone, anyone can do it themselves, especially since you can find a lot of ready-made interesting ideas and solutions.

For example, if you want to combine stones with any plants and flowers, you can use shale, granite, as well as limestone rocks.

When making rock gardens do not use too many rocks, as this will only emphasize the artificiality of the created slide. The stone applied in the Alpine hills can be both monophonic, and color. All decorative stones can be painted in the desired color, and for the paint to last as long as possible, it is necessary to additionally coat the surface with paint after painting.

If you want to create an artificial reservoir on your plot, you can use granite and slate rocks, as well as river stones for its design.But it is better not to use limestone and marble in this situation, because under the influence of water, these rocks can affect the composition of the soil, which ultimately can have a negative effect on plants.

Basalt, granite, slate or concrete can be used to build garden paths. And in this case it is better to refuse the use of limestone and sandstone, since they are not designed for heavy loads and will begin to collapse quickly enough.

Stones such as granite, gneiss and concrete are suitable for the decoration of stairs. However, it is very important that the steps are not slippery, for which it is necessary to apply a special treatment of stone material.

And finally, we give you a few examples of successful design of landscape design using different types of stones.

Original and unusual decorative frames for flower beds with flowers and other plants.

Stone decor artificial reservoirs.

Stylish design of a dry stream.

Tiered landscape.

About what are the options for stone decor for landscape design, see the next video.