
I found it worked well for the path in the narrow yard beside my house, providing both excellent drainage and a rodent barrier (big plus: rodents can’t dig through pea gravel). Photograph by Nicole Franzen for Gardenista.īecause of its tendency to travel, pea gravel must be contained by some type of edging material, such as brick, stones, Bender Board, or metal edging (as shown above). Above: A pea-gravel path abuts a bed of mulch and bluestone pavers, neatly separated by a strip of metal edging.

Paths, patios, driveways, and playgrounds are a few candidates. Pea gravel is often overlooked as mulch material around containers or garden plants: It suppresses weed growth, retains moisture, and doesn’t decompose like organic mulch. Above: This geometric garden in a Brooklyn backyard, designed by Susan Welti of Foras Studio, features bluestone pavers and pea gravel. Pea gravel comes in sizes from 1/8 inch to 3/8 inch, about the size of a pea, and in a range of natural colors like buff, rust brown, shades of gray, white, and translucent. These small, fluid stones found near bodies of water have an appealingly smooth texture, the result of natural weathering. Here’s everything you need to know about this easy-to-install and inexpensive friend: Above: Photograph by Nicole Franzen for Gardenista.
#Inexpensive gravel driveway edging ideas how to
If you’re wondering how to build a weed- and mud-free garden path, edge a tidy vegetable plot, or put in a driveway without breaking the budget, pea gravel offers a lot of advantages. New in town?) But its natural appearance, permeability, and versatility often make pea gravel the best choice. Yet sometimes we overlook this humble standby, especially with all the sexier hardscaping materials around. Good for covering driveways and paths, and for filling spaces between stone pavers, pea gravel is inexpensive and versatile. These rounded fragments of pea-size stone crunch underfoot as satisfyingly as crispy cereal. How did pea gravel get its name? We’ll give you one guess.Īs gravel goes, it doesn’t get any better. Icon - Check Mark A check mark for checkbox buttons. Icon - Twitter Twitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Pinterest Pinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - Instagram Instagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Facebook Facebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Email Used to indicate an emai action. Icon - Search Used to indicate a search action. Icon - Zoom In Used to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - Zoom Out Used to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Location Pin Used to showcase a location on a map.

Icon - Dropdown Arrow Used to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Close Used to indicate a close action. Icon - Down Chevron Used to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Message The icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - External Link An icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - Arrow Right An icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Hardscaping 101: Pea Gravel - Gardenista Icon - Arrow Left An icon we use to indicate a rightwards action.
