HOMEOWNER’S GUIDE TO STONE LANDSCAPING AGGREGATES

The homes of southeastern Pennsylvania are famous for their beautifully landscaped outdoor spaces. With a climate that allows for a great variety of plants, trees, flowers, and shrubs, the area’s gardens, patios, and lawns can be enjoyed throughout much of the year.

To accompany the beautiful diversity of softscaping, there are also many hardscaping options that allow homeowners to express their style, add even more value to their homes, and enhance their enjoyment of their outdoor spaces.

In our last article, we discussed several of the different types of stones commonly used in landscaping, and the sorts of projects they can be used in, from flagstone patios and sandstone steps to limestone and slate walkways. In this article, we’ll explore another stone option for your hardscaping projects: the use of stone aggregates.

 

What is stone aggregate?

Stone aggregate comes in a very wide range of material, color, shape, size, and texture, but what all of the different types have in common is that they are smaller chunks of rocks and stone. Think of gravel, or pebbles, for example.

What are some of the benefits of using stone aggregate?

Stone aggregate carries with it all of the benefits that come with using stone as a landscaping element. Stone is durable—it lasts a long time without fading. It requires very little maintenance, and it can be less slippery than, for example, the wooden slats of a patio or deck. Stone also lends itself well to improved drainage in your outdoor spaces, providing a natural pathway for water to drain.

In addition to these universal benefits of using stone in your landscaping, the use of aggregates in particular has its own advantages. Aggregates provide a beautiful contrast to the smooth slabs of natural stone, and introduce texture and new colors and shapes to the design of your outdoor space.

Because it is made up of smaller pieces, aggregate is also very versatile, much easier to maneuver and install than huge slabs, and can be used to effectively create custom shapes or fill in smaller spaces where larger pieces of stone would not be practical.

What are the different types of stone aggregate?

Stone aggregate comes in many different types. Here are just a few of them:

·         Pea gravel: This type of aggregate gets its name from the pea-sized shape of the pieces.

·         Crushed gravel: Sometimes called fractured stone, these pieces are shaped more like chips or flakes and can vary in size.

·         Beach pebbles: These are small, round pieces, a little larger than pea gravel.

·         River rocks: On the medium to larger end of aggregates, river rocks are usually at least an inch in size.

Among each of these types of aggregates is a wide variety of color, natural characteristics like streaks, inclusions, or veining, and different finishes from smooth to rough and highly texturized.

Aggregates open up a whole world of possibility for creative landscaping. For more information on how to enhance your outdoor space with stone aggregate, contact Modern Landscapes today!

Share