8 Gravel Garden Features That Make Your Yard Look Designer-Level Without The Work

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Has your yard been looking a little lackluster, ill-defined, or messy in recent years? Have you tried to spruce it up with colorful flowers, new grass, or fancy patio furniture and still feel like it is missing something? Well, if your property is lacking a bit of elegance and grace, gravel might actually be just what you need. This small rock mixture comes in a variety of different shapes, colors, and sizes from tiny, rounded pea gravel to the ragged slate chips often used as an alternative to mulch in flower beds. In addition, it can be a relatively low effort material to use in the garden because it doesn't need watering or fertilizing like many other garden features.

As a result of the broad variety available, gravel is a wonderful way to add eye-catching touches to your garden that are so personalized they will look like they've been done by a designer. Accordingly, there are plenty of designer-style gravel features that balance both form and function, such as framed paths, zen gardens, and statement garden borders between flower beds. However, gravel can also be a pain if it is allowed to spread around the yard, ending up underfoot where you don't want it or getting caught in the lawnmower as it passes by. As such, it is important to choose gravel landscape features that not only look designer, but are low maintenance as well. 

Having a gravel pathway in your yard is great for drawing the eye and adding a sense of movement and shape to the space. However, one complaint some people have about gravel paths is that the stones tend to get kicked into the surrounding areas when walked on. To fix this, and add a sleek sense of elegance to your yard, try creating a gravel path framed with pavers or rocks. This will better keep the stones within the path, making it easier to maintain, and will create a cleaner visual line that feels high-end.

If a framed gravel path is too prescriptive for your taste but you still want a feature that feels fancy and intentionally designed, you could opt for a cottage-style path. Characterized by free-growing plants such as wildflowers that cluster around the edges, this feature is naturally low-maintenance because its rugged style means you don't have to worry about keeping every stone perfectly in place. Try installing weed barrier fabric before you spread the gravel, or compacting the stones to prevent weeds from growing under gravel from the get-go, and make this charming feature even easier to maintain.

Gravel can also be used to create striking borders between different areas, separating them out so each one feels special. For the best effect, look for gravel that contrasts the rest of the space. If you have dark green foliage, for example, this light-colored Rain Forest Pink Gravel from Home Depot could work as a stand-out feature. A gravel border can also make yard work easier as it can help prevent grass from spreading into flower beds. Just be sure to use a metal or stone divider so that no loose stones end up under the lawnmower.

If your garden is in need of a focal point to make it feel more intentional, you could always create a lovely courtyard using gravel as the base. This is great for adding more seating around a table or firepit, and the gravel can create a nice visual contrast between the courtyard area and the surrounding lawn. Try placing potted plants around the edge of the courtyard to increase the visual separation and pick out lightweight furniture that can be easily moved aside if you ever need to flatten out the gravel or pick a few weeds.

A fire pit can be a great feature in a yard for socializing, and it also acts as a way to draw the eye. However, some fire pits can stick out like sore thumbs if they look like they've just been set down randomly. But, by using gravel to surround your fire pit, you can help make it look more seamless and intentionally placed in your space. Look for gravel such as black lava rock, which is fire resistant, and add larger stones around the outside to keep it in place and make it easy to maintain.

If you have vegetable beds in your garden but find it difficult to maneuver between them due to unruly grass or weeds, you may want to consider gravel instead. By using gravel with a layer of weed blocking fabric underneath in your designs for raised garden beds, you can save yourself a lot of hard work weeding the areas in between your beds. In addition, you can choose a color and shape of gravel that contrasts with the wood of your beds to create a truly chic, designer-level look in your garden.

Want your yard to be both relaxing and aesthetically pleasing? A gravel-covered zen garden could be the perfect option for you. Also called a "dry garden," this feature is hundreds of years old and utilizes the small stones to emulate moving water. Gravel zen gardens are relatively low maintenance because they typically involve far fewer plants than other garden features, and the only regular maintenance required is designed to be relaxing, such as raking the gravel to create satisfying shapes. To make your zen garden stand out, try adding some additional decorative elements, such as stone lanterns.

Garden paths made using spaced out pavers can be a great addition to the garden, but they can sometimes become lost when surrounded by grass or other plants. To create a sleek, defined path that looks like it's straight out of a magazine, try laying gravel in between each of the pavers. To stop the small stones from scattering, grab some gravel stabilizer, which can be mixed with the stones to bind them together and better keep them in place.