4 Benefits of Using Gravel in Your Garden

There are many factors that go into creating a landscape design from scratch. You want it to look gorgeous of course, but you also want the materials to be low maintenance, cost-effective, and long-lasting.

In this post, we talk about the benefits of using gravel in your garden. It’s a simple landscaping product, but it comes with plenty of advantages to make your life easier while enhancing the aesthetic of your yard.

Without further ado, here are the 4 benefits of using gravel in your garden.

1. It’s versatile

Rocks get a bad rap for being rather bland, but this couldn’t be further from the truth! Gravel is basically small stone fragments, and it comes in all sorts of colors and textures. 

This opens up the creative possibilities with your landscaping projects to streamline your designs and soften the edges of your flowerbeds. 

These are some examples of the different types of gravel out there:

  • Base gravel: Comes in white or gray, ideal for driveways, patio areas, or parking areas
  • Marble chips: This gravel gives off a nice sheen in the sunlight, making it aesthetically appealing for gardens and as a top layer for driveways
  • Jersey Shore gravel: This is a popular, low-cost gravel that homeowners like due to its yellow, sandy color. It can be used for driveways, sitting areas, or stone pathways.
  • River Rock: This is a larger stone that is smooth and multi-colored. It can be used for any type of project, including as a base for garden ponds, pebble walkways, or to line firepits.
  • Pea gravel: This is small-sized gravel perfect as a filler around driveways, to edge paved areas, or to replace mulch in flowerbeds

2. Keeps pests away

Organic mulch does benefit your garden by retaining moisture, but pests and rodents will move in if it’s not replaced often. 

With gravel, you won’t have this problem. Once you layer on the pea gravel, your plants receive the same benefits, but you won’t have to worry about it getting moldy or needing to be replaced. 

Gravel is long-lasting and does not attract pests. Snails and slugs in particular stay away because they don’t like to crawl over the jagged edges of stones.

3. Gravel is low maintenance

As we mentioned, mulch needs to be replaced every so often. This means consistent spending and yard work when you can be doing something else that you enjoy. 

Gravel doesn’t require replacement or special cleaning. You can lay it down and forget about it. Stones are durable, don’t absorb water, and dry quickly– just like nature intended!

Romantic outdoor sitting area

4. Gravel provides insulation for your plants

Do you live in a region with fluctuating temperatures? It’s difficult for some plants to thrive when temperatures dip suddenly, but a layer of gravel can keep them warm. 

Gravel retains heat from sunlight and acts as a blanket to insulate roots.

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