Cheap dumping in landscape design. Mulching and decorative filling

Decorative dumping is called bulk materials of different fractions used for soil mulching. It can be fine and coarse gravel, stone chips, shells, sand, pebbles, wood chips, pine nut shells, bark and decorative "pebbles" made of plastic or glass.

The use of different decorative dumps in the landscape can transform the appearance of your site. A number of decorative compositions - rockery or rock garden, Japanese landscape, landscape pond, sandy garden - are unthinkable without dumping. In addition, they can be used to create patios and paths, and for flower beds. Mulching the soil protects it from excessive evaporation of moisture. And using multi-colored glass in the garden, colored decorative chips, filling with crushed stone of different shades, you can achieve phenomenal effects.

Decorative organic dumps

Among these dumps, the most popular are cedar husks and pine bark.

First of all, the advantages of pine bark include a long service life: the bark does not rot for a long time (especially large fractions), does not burn out. Still, such backfilling is an environmentally friendly material that fits into landscape compositions.

wood chips and cedar husk are painted in different colors and thus provide an extensive field for experimenting with coloring in the garden. Staining of wood chips is made with environmentally friendly paints. Of course, you need to use colorful colored wood chips in the garden with caution: both the color of the mulch and the composition should be consistent with the environment.

Too bright colors of colored wood chips are out of place in landscape compositions. But a variety of colorings will allow you to create colored soft tracks.

The indisputable common advantage of these dumps is their cheapness. These materials themselves are inexpensive, and some of them (wood chips, bark) are by-products of wood processing industries.

The main disadvantage is the relatively short service life.

Using organic dumps in flowerbeds, in circles of trees - wherever they are laid directly on the ground - you need to keep in mind that over time, the rotting bottom layer of mulch changes the composition of the soil. Most of the organic dumps acidify the soil. For some plants, this property of decorative dumping can be an advantage - for example, for rhododendrons.

When laying decorative filling on the ground, it is advisable to add a small amount of material every year - firstly, this will allow you to maintain the appearance, and secondly, it provides compensation for decay.

inorganic deposits

These dumps include crushed stone, gravel of various fractions, pebbles (sea and river), sands. Also, inorganic dumpings include materials of artificial origin - plastic and colored glass (colored decorative "pebbles").

The advantage of inorganic deposits lies primarily in their long service life. Gravel filling does not crumble, does not change its appearance. Stone fills require almost no maintenance. In addition, gravel filling protects the soil from overheating and water does not linger.

One of the main disadvantages of inorganic backfills is that it is very difficult to remove accumulated debris (wood litter) from them, so it is better to place crushed stone paths and compositions with gravel backfill away from trees. Over time, decorative inorganic fills silt, soil particles, seeds and sand can get into them. As a result, weeds appear on the covered surface. But they fall out easily.

The use of decorative dumping in the garden

Dumping has become widespread in the design of patios and paths. But decorative dumping is also used as mulch in flowerbeds and for decorating near-stem circles near trees.

For the design of the tracks, you can use all types of dumping. To form a path, it is necessary to dig a shallow pit, lay geotextiles, and then fill in the backfill.

The best layer is 7 cm. Using the same technology, huge free spaces can also be decorated with decorative filling. By combining decorative dumping of different colors and fractions, you can achieve beautiful effects. To diversify the composition, you can add a few expressive green plants.

To do this, an incision is made in the geotextile, a plant is planted in the resulting hole.

In addition, decorative dumping can be used as an element of various decorative compositions - to create "scree stones" in rockeries, on alpine hills and on the shore of a garden pond. Sometimes decorative dumping serves to emphasize certain certain plants.

Mulching with organic materials can be a good option when starting a garden and planting perennials. It is known that immediately after planting - traditionally losing for most perennials. If you plant them at a distance that is best for their further development, there will inevitably be earth between the flowers.

But if you decorate these spaces, for example, with wood chips, then the “bare earth” will look like part of the design idea, and your garden will take on a complete look.

1. We create themed flower beds, emblems and logos using the “stone carpet” technology (stone + binder = many years of operation).

2. Using the same technology, we install floor coverings in the premises.

And also in the field of memorial arrangement.

3. We enhance the aesthetic appearance and value of your suburban property with a flexible concrete landscape border. The curb is laid directly on the spot along any given trajectory.

1. Decorative colored gravel

With a quality guarantee for color fastness and integrity of the LC coating for 3 years and an actual service life of more than 6 years. That is how much time we are engaged in its production and monitor the very first completed object. (fractions 2 - 4 mm, 5 - 10 mm, 5 - 20 mm)

2. Natural stone chips for "stone carpet" coatings.

We sift, we wash, we calcinate, we pack, we send. In general, we carry out all the necessary preparatory work with the material for its subsequent use when laying "stone carpet" coatings without any hassle.

1. Garden plastic border "Geoboard".

Serves to separate different types of landscape coverings.

Attention. Unlike analogues, which are widely known in the Russian market, our curb is produced in Europe. The curb itself, as well as its end locks and ears, have extremely high elasticity and DO NOT BREAK from the word at all.

2. One-component binder for laying "stone carpet" coatings

Service "Remote project master" We will do all the preparatory work for you. What does it mean?

We will prepare preliminary sketches for your customer.

We will calculate all the necessary materials depending on the color palette of the composition with an error of up to 3%. This is extremely important when the material is ordered from far away and can save tens of thousands of rubles.

Let's draw layouts with 100% correspondence to the drawing from those. tasks. With their help, you will hand over the object with 100% compliance.

We will provide detailed video instructions for each of the stages of work and provide remote control of their implementation.

If necessary, it is possible to travel to your facility.

The use of dumps in the landscape - organic mulch, chipped or rounded small stones, sand, etc. - literally transforms the backyard. They can be used very widely - from paving paths and patios to decorating flower beds. Where accuracy is especially in demand, they cannot be dispensed with.

Mulching (namely, this is the name of the use of dumping of any kind) has a long history, its own traditions and laws. Every gardener knows about the beneficial properties of mulch: it helps to almost completely exterminate weeds; protects the soil from night frosts in the spring-autumn period and from deep freezing in winter (for example, in places covered with nutshells it will be 10-15 cm, and in uncovered places - 20-25 cm or more); prevents overheating, drying and caking of the surface layers of the earth. In addition, some dumps can serve as a source of necessary substances for the soil (for example, needles can, where necessary, increase its acidity), create a barrier for pests and stimulate the reproduction of beneficial microorganisms.

The principles of using dumps change significantly over time. Their transformation is spurred both by the emergence of innovative materials and the birth of new styles. And if, say, in formal gardens (French, Italian, Moorish styles) they diligently sought to get rid of weeds by mulching large areas, then in naturgarden gardens, on the contrary, they welcome the invasion of wild plants and use dumping in a completely different context and in limited quantities - for example , to bring color to the garden palette.

All mulching materials are divided into organic and inorganic.

Colored decorative dumping is an invariable attribute of the design of alpine slides, rockeries, "dry streams" in Japanese gardens. With the help of bulk stone "mosaics", ornaments and panels, you can exclusively decorate the area of fountains, water cascades, the banks of miniature artificial ponds

organic dumps

These include widely used wood chips and bark, fallen needles, cones, pine nut shells, forest and marsh moss. Peat, hay, straw and rotted leaves are also included here, but the difference is that they are no longer used for decorative purposes, but purely for pine nut shell benefits of the cause - as a fertilizer that simultaneously retains moisture in the soil and eliminates the growth of weeds.

Organic dumping is a real find for those who want to save money while creating a beautiful and well-groomed garden. Okorje, technological chips, peat, shells, sphagnum - all these materials are either inexpensive in themselves, or are industrial waste from various industries, which also makes them quite cheap. And coniferous litter, spruce, pine or cedar cones, if possible, are generally easy to pick up on your own while walking through the forest, and in any quantities.

Perhaps the most popular variant of mulch - bark of Siberian pine and larch, so to speak, a by-product of woodworking enterprises. In the process of harvesting, the material is exposed to high-temperature effects, due to which it does not contain pests, microbes, and foreign impurities. It is especially good to use the bark for filling all conifers, heathers, rhododendrons, ferns. The bark rots for a long time and may not lose its decorative properties for two to three years. Sometimes it is dyed using only natural pigments.

Getting chips for dumping

Chips (sawdust, shavings) obtained from the trunks and stumps of trees. Like the bark, it can be dyed with organic dyes (yellow to black in color), although it is quite decorative on its own. This is an environmentally friendly material, most often made from hardwood. If you have a vegetable waste shredder in your arsenal of garden equipment, then you can make your own mulch chips from tree branches cut when thinning crowns.

Mulch from bark and wood chips is poured with a layer of 5-10 cm around the plants, leaving a small distance to the stems free for air circulation. Weeds must first be removed and the soil loosened. If a geotextile layer will be used, then you need to remove the sod, select the top layer of soil (to a depth of 10 cm for flower beds, 20-25 cm for trees and 15-20 cm for shrubs) and put complex fertilizers into the loose soil of the bottom. Then the site is leveled, lightly tamped, geotextiles are laid and mulch is laid. It is recommended to install a low but solid border along the border of the backfill - so it will not spread beyond the trunk circle or mixborder and gradually litter the lawn.

If the area is sunny, the mulch layer can be quite thick, but in those places where the shade is always preserved, it is better to make the filling thinner - otherwise water will stagnate under it for a long time and the roots of the plants will begin to rot

Pine nut shell

Excellent mulch is obtained from shells of pine nuts. Such filling promotes the development of beneficial microflora in the root system of plants, prevents soil erosion, and has good moisture and air permeability. Since the composition of the shell includes substances such as lignin, phytoncides, flavonoids, it does not rot and decompose for a long time and retains its decorative effect for five years, you only need to add a fresh portion of the material from time to time, and gently loosen it on the surface with a rake in spring.

In flower beds, shells cover the entire space between plants. Sod is removed under shrubs and trees (within a radius of at least 50 and 80-100 cm, respectively), the soil is dug to a depth of 20-30 cm, compacted a little and covered with mulch with a layer of 7 to 15 cm. After that, so that it is not swept away by the wind, the shell should be spilled with water and lightly trampled.

In the spring, when cleaning the site after winter, decorative dumping should be renewed: they are slightly loosened, leveled and, if necessary, a fresh portion of the material is added. First of all, this is required by organic mulch, since in three to four years its lower layers rot, and it sags.

Decorative filling of the trunk circle

The disadvantage of the shell is that it is an excellent food for rodents, birds, which will attract them to plantings. The decorative properties of dumps of organic origin often make us forget about the caution of their use, and yet they all change the properties of soils in one way or another. For example, peat, needles, pine and especially spruce cones affect the agrochemical characteristics of the soil - as agricultural technicians say, they acidify it. Therefore, they can only mulch those plants that benefit from increased acidity - in particular, these are any conifers, heather, rhododendrons, hydrangea, blueberries - or use them in combination with fallen leaves, hay, ash. In addition, along with coniferous litter and cones, fungal diseases (rust, root rot, etc.) can be brought to the site, and they will easily spread from mulch to garden crops. Pre-treatment of the mulching material with fungicidal preparations will help protect against this.

From the shells, tree bark and wood chips, you can not only make decorative filling in flower beds, beds and tree circles, but also create a soft coating on recreation areas and paths in the depths of the garden. This process is not particularly laborious. It is necessary to remove 10-15 cm of the top layer of soil, compact the base well and cover it with mulch. If the soil moisture is high here, it is better to first arrange drainage in the form of a gravel cushion 5-10 cm thick, and then fill it on top of it.

Properties and approximate price of various organic dumps

inorganic deposits

The most common inorganic deposits are gravel, pebbles, crushed stone (stone chips), sand. Expanded clay, due to its unpretentious "appearance" and literal weightlessness (easily washed off with water), is used more for drainage, and not for decorative purposes, however, if you show imagination, it can contribute to creating the image of the garden.

Variants of inorganic dumps

In small quantities, other inert materials may be present on the site - for example, shells, glass pebbles (artificial soil) popular in the aquarium hobby, plastic granulate, or colored (environmentally friendly paints) bottle caps. True, their use should be limited by considerations of common sense and, above all, safety: it makes sense to make such dumping in high flower beds, be sure to surround it with a fence and assign them the role of certain accents rather than a background cover.

Inorganic dumps are good because they have a long service life, are not blown up by the wind and are not washed away by rains, and do not affect the composition of the soil in any way. However, they also have their drawbacks - it is difficult to remove small debris from such coatings, and besides, they do not accumulate water. The exception here is sand, which perfectly retains moisture, thereby creating a favorable microclimate near the surface of the earth.

Sand- the most accessible material, widely used in the improvement of adjacent territories. In addition to the usual quarry, washed and sifted river sand is sold, quartz (white and tinted with safe polymer dyes in all colors of the rainbow), calcined, intended for children's playgrounds, sandboxes and creating beach areas. A quality product does not contain impurities and has a homogeneous structure with the declared particle fraction (up to 1 or up to 3 mm).

The main advantage of inorganic mulch is durability, appearance and maintenance-free

The size of the stones used as backfills varies from 2 to 70 mm.

Especially popular with buyers is river and sea pebble, but it is relatively expensive and not available everywhere. However, the modern market offers its artificial counterpart. Moreover, this is not a polymer in its pure form, but a material that also contains natural components - quartzite, marble, gypsum. A wide color palette and the ability to imitate rare, and even unprecedented in nature, rock types are achieved thanks to coloring pigments.

Unlike rounded pebbles, gravel can be both smooth, rounded shapes, and angular. Natural shades - pinkish, beige, blue - make it attractive enough to be used in landscape design. Often, gravel filling is included in a composition made from different types of stones.

Even at the design stage, it is necessary to consider: will the planned composition withstand annual climate changes? You can invest a lot of money in a high-quality project and special effects, but, for example, a normal spring flood will mix with the soil or simply wash away expensive stone fill in the coastal zone of a pond or stream. The solution in this case may be the use of a special gravel film. If you lay out the coast with such material, then in the spring all the gravel will remain in the same place, despite the sharp change in the water level.

The widest decorative potential has stone crumb, which is produced from a variety of rocks - marble, granite, limestone, quartzite, solar goldite, spotted emerald serpentine, multi-colored felsite, etc. The material is obtained by crushing, so the stones have an irregular shape and sharp chips, however, subjected to mechanical polishing - tumbling, they become completely smooth. In garden plots, tumbled crumb is preferable to untreated gravel, since it cannot injure a child, does not injure a dog's paws, and does not puncture a bicycle tire.

One of the main functions of stone fills is covering the blind area and footpaths, and not only secondary, as in the case of organic mulch, but also lying in the front part of the garden. (For car access, it is better to lay a hard tile or concrete canvas: cars slip on a loose coating, it is difficult to clean it from snow and ice.)

We meet each new summer season with new ideas and new plans. And at the same time we want to get the maximum result with a minimum of opportunities. For example, on the territory of a summer cottage, a flower bed is an indispensable decoration. And we get down to work with zeal and desire. But what about weeds? There is a solution - these are gravel flower beds that combine bright flowers and multi-colored (or plain) decorative gravel around them. In addition, our flower bed can be of any shape and color!

Advantages of the new material

Pebbles are formed during the decomposition of rocks, and run in water (sea, river, stream). Round stones contain impurities, on which their strength depends. They are crushed industrially and the sizes are selected depending on the purpose of application: decorative or construction. Various sizes can be used, ranging from 1-3mm. and ending with 40-70mm .. Usually, for greater expressiveness, both for the flower bed and for the garden, decorative gravel of different sizes is selected. But for the path they use small stones: the smaller, the more convenient it is to walk on them.

This is a cheap and environmentally friendly material that has a number of indisputable advantages:
Closing the soil layer, it does not interfere with air exchange, so the root system does not suffer.
Rubble is beautiful and looks good in any weather.
Does not require special skill in application.
You can decorate any unsightly part of the garden or flower garden.
Good in compositions, for example, with moss, glass, metal, wood.

We try to keep up with the times, using new, unusual forms of garden design. The use of crushed stone and gravel in landscape architecture is becoming more and more popular.

How to use decorative gravel?

There are no problem areas in the garden now: empty and useless, swampy, shaded. We close them with rubble, and not necessarily the same size, you can add medium and large stones. And small colored gravel will give an unusual look to the paths branching among the trees in the garden. Here you need a layer of 5-8 cm.

Without it, it is impossible to create an alpine slide. Without stones and gravel, the hill will “lose” its external color and will look uninteresting. And the closed space between the plants makes the slide an element close to natural conditions. The bottom of the decorative pond, decorated with blue gravel, will give it a special, slightly fabulous look. You can bring large boulders that will protrude from the water.

If you want to create a Japanese style garden, no problem. Stone is an important part of Japanese design. There are "gardens of the void", completely lined with stone. Large stones are scattered without a special system, depicting islands and mountains, and the ground is covered with small gravel. The "rock garden" also needs care, but it is special.

Colored natural stone is indispensable in complex landscape compositions, and, of course, in flower beds. Here it is laid out in a layer of 2-4 cm. Decorative gravel does not require constant care, and the space filled with it remains clean and looks aesthetically pleasing. In addition, dyes do not lose their juiciness and brightness for a long time, they are harmless to the environment and its inhabitants. Therefore, after cleaning it, the site can be used by planting any plants on it.

Crushed stone can be painted by yourself

You can choose the color you are interested in. Acrylic and alkyd paints, paint spray enamel in a can are used.

First, the stones must be washed well.
Paint on one side and wait for complete drying.
Paint on the other side and also wait until the paint dries.
You do not need to apply a thick layer of paint, but if the rubble is not bright, then the process will have to be repeated.

This method is suitable for painting a small number of stones. If you need to paint a lot of pebbles, then you need to pour it into a large container, and pour the paint on top and mix it properly (you can use a concrete mixer for this purpose).

Decorating with streamlined pebbles

Of course, rubble in a flower bed looks unusual, but why not try streamlined pebbles? Then we need a large container, cement and paint. We do everything in stages:

Pour a third of the rubble into the container, add paint, mix thoroughly.
Then pour water into the rubble, twice as much in volume as paint.
Add cement (determine the amount yourself), mix everything. Then pour out the remaining pebbles and mix everything again.
Stones completely stained with cement are laid on a mesh or polyethylene until completely dry. When the process is completed, it can be seen that the stones have become more streamlined and well painted over. You can use them in the same way as decorative gravel.

Creating a flower bed using crushed stone (complicated version)

Let's try to create a new generation flower bed using modern technologies. In our work, we will need 2 types of geotextile mulching fabric, devices for fixing it, a special membrane from weeds, containers for planting flowers, decorative crushed stone of various colors and sizes.

We must prepare a place for a flower bed: give it the desired shape, build a fence, making a margin for height. It depends on the gravel layers and the height of the landing containers. Then you need to lay out the first layer of the canvas as a protection against the remaining weeds and their seeds. It is cut and laid as a continuous coating or overlapped (up to 10 cm), fixed with needle decomposable clamps. When fixing the canvas at the fence, metal clamps are used.

Holes are cut out in the coating and recesses are dug for soft containers of the required shape. Subsequently, they are filled with soil and plants are planted in them. They will separate the vegetation zone from the gravel layer and protect the roots from pests. You can begin to fill up the first layer of gravel, the thickness of which is 2/3 of the thickness of the fence. Its main role is drainage and drainage of rainwater. If a flower bed is planned at the foundation of the house, then a gravel groove is created to drain water.

The second layer of garden geotextile will serve as a filter between the gravel layer below and the decorative rubble on top. A decorative layer of rubble is poured on it. It is desirable to wash both gravel and crushed stone. Geotextiles should not be visible, so we use crushed stone of different colors and sizes. Everything is ready: you can fantasize and create your own unique drawing of the composition.

Creating a flower bed with crushed stone (simple option)

This method is simple and does not require special skills. All you need is free time and a desire to experiment. The flower bed is already ready and a variety of flowers or flower arrangements grow on it. It is necessary to remove weeds, take a bedding of crushed stone of a certain or neutral color and fill the space around the flowers. A layer of crushed stone is laid 2-3 cm. There should be no gaps in the ground. And as a final chord - the creation of a homemade border or purchased in a store.

But this method also has its downsides. Crushed stone eventually mixes with the ground and does not look so beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. Then you have to slightly renew the flower bed. At the end of the season, rubble can be collected, washed and reused the next year.

Modern garden: minimum costs and maximum decorative effect

Advantages of gardens using crushed stone and gravel:

The area planted with plants and in need of care depends on the desire of the owners.
Compositions and sizes are also selected individually: you can ennoble any corner of the existing site.
You can create a garden using gravel and rubble yourself, since the creation technology is quite simple.
To create such a garden requires a minimum of financial costs.
Plants mulched with flower gravel will look decorative almost anywhere in the garden.
There is no need for constant loosening and watering, which makes gardening less labor intensive.

The best for a rocky garden is an area with light sandy soil. The site is backfilled, the sod is removed in a 20 cm layer of soil, carefully digging and removing the roots and rhizomes. The site is moistened and left for 10 days for the germination of the remaining roots.

Dig up the site with the addition of baking powder, draining the soil.

The soil is compacted and covered with geotextiles. Sheets must be joined to each other. The area is covered with crushed stone 5-10 cm thick, in which holes are dug, filling them with earth and planting plants. In landscape design, stone chips, crushed stone of several colors, sea pebbles, and shells are used. In this case, select the desired color and size.

Planting plants in the flower bed and in the garden

First, a design project for plant placement is created. Shrubs are planted in the designated areas. When they take root, you can plant carpet plants and perennials. Daylilies are best planted in clumps. Single landings do not look so advantageous, they lie down from rain and wind. At the end, seeds of annual and biennial crops are sown, which are subsequently renewed by self-sowing. Annuals are sown in early spring, and biennials in June, which guarantees flowering the next year.

The varieties chosen for a garden with gravel and gravel should be drought-resistant and at the same time be decorative. It is necessary to pay attention to the biological characteristics of plants, to the cycle of their development, so as not to create additional difficulties for yourself later.

Magonia holly during the year draws attention to itself with shiny dark green leaves, yellowish flowers and gray berries. Varieties of the host decorate the site with wide leaves. They may not be transplanted for several years. Irises, daylilies, ferns are also unpretentious. Plants with silvery leaves look beautiful on rubble: gray fescue, chistets, wormwood, lavender, cineraria, carnation. Among shrubs, cotoneaster and gorse are more often grown, among cereals - blue fescue.

The uniqueness of the new material

Despite the simplicity and availability of decorative gravel, any flower bed will become unusual and a little fantastic if the flowers are surrounded by light gravel. It is this background that emphasizes different colors. Colors may be different, there is always the opportunity to experiment. Flowerbeds, paths, garden paths will be practical and original. Rubble next to the pool and fountain - and you are on the beach. Decorative crushed stone allows the designer to implement the most daring projects that can be admired again and again.

If you are still wondering whether it is worth trying to create a flower bed using decorative gravel, then think about which is better:

Weeding all season long.
See withering plants that, without mulching material, need frequent watering.
Constantly spent extra on organic fertilizers and seeds or just pour a bucket of rubble.

Think and create your own unique flower plot using decorative gravel.

As a decorative backfill, natural or artificial bulk materials used for soil mulching can be used. Decorative filling is used in landscape design quite widely: in the construction of rose gardens, alpine slides, decorative ponds, Japanese stone gardens, to decorate garden paths and flower beds. By combining different types and colors of backfill, you can achieve a stunning decorative effect. In addition, mulching is good for the soil, it protects the soil from excessive evaporation of moisture.

Varieties of decorative filling

In this section, we have collected the most popular dumps that are most often used in landscape design.

wood dumping

Most often, pine bark and cedar husks are used in landscape design. Dumping from tree bark is an environmentally friendly material that does not rot for a long time, and also does not lose its color under the influence of sunlight. Pine dumping fits perfectly into any design project. The second undoubted advantage of this material is its economy, since pine bark is a by-product of the woodworking industry.

Tree bark can be used in its original form, but most often it is given color with special environmentally friendly dyes. With the use of colored husks, you should be careful: the wrong shade will not decorate your garden, but will lead to the opposite effect. Too bright colors may not be combined with the overall style of the garden.

It must be understood that any wood dumping has a shorter service life than artificial ones. Sooner or later, the material will have to be replaced with a new one, and it is also necessary to add a new layer of bark every year. In addition, wood fills make the soil more acidic over time. Consider this when choosing plants for the garden, for example, rhododendrons just need acidified soil.

Organic wood litter weighs little and is easily carried by the wind. Therefore, a low finish is needed along the edges of the decorated area, for example, from stones or a lawn edge. This will help to avoid transferring the fill to the grass from the effects of wind.

Not only bark can be used as natural backfill, but also other organic materials, such as pine nut shells, as well as a mixture of peat and sand.

stone dumping

Stone or inorganic fills include the following materials:

Crushed stone - crushed stone chips of grant, marble, limestone, shale, etc.;
Gravel - small stones of various shapes with sharp or rounded edges;
Pebbles - small rounded stones, river pebbles are often used in landscape design;
Expanded clay - oval porous stones obtained by firing fusible clay;
Sandstone - large heterogeneous gravel;
Quartzite is a beautiful stone with sharp edges;
Slate - flat plates with a relief;
Serpentine - a gray-green stone with sharp edges, looks especially impressive after rain;
Shungite is a matte black stone with sharp edges;
Stone chips - small granules of stones of various breeds, marble is especially popular;
Sand - pebbles of marble or quartz of microscopic size;
Seashells, artificial or natural;
Rubber mulch is the most budget option;
Artificial stones of various colors, sizes and shapes.

Gravel is the most commonly used in landscaping. This is not only decorative, but also functional topping, with the help of gravel, steps are often made out, the entrance to the site. It is also widely used in the decoration of reservoirs and alpine slides. Gravel can be of various shapes and colors (black, green and grey). Due to its weight, gravel is not carried by the wind. In addition, this material contributes to the preservation of heat in the underlying soil layer.

Granite chips are highly resistant to mechanical stress and temperature extremes. The color can vary from gray to pink, depending on the composition of the breed. Granite chips shine beautifully in the sun. For arranging sports or playgrounds, it is better to use granite screenings, these are smaller stones with round edges.

Stone dumps have an unlimited service life, do not need to be replaced or updated layer. This type of garden decor requires almost no maintenance other than cleaning. Therefore, if you do not have enough time to care for the garden and you cannot afford the services of a gardener, do not place decorative fill near deciduous trees. If you do not remove fallen leaves from the dump, they form humus, which will make it possible for weeds to germinate.

Rubber mulch is one of the most budget-friendly inorganic materials. Rubber mulch is highly resistant to weeds, mold and mildew. In addition, it is a very soft material, so it is widely used in the arrangement of playgrounds.

The use of broken glass in landscape design should not be avoided. Contrary to the stereotype, broken glass filling has rounded edges. This material absolutely does not absorb moisture, so all the water that has fallen on the dressing flows into the soil.

Decorative features

Garden dumping is widely used in landscape design, here are the main ways to use it:

Decor of garden paths;
Decoration of flower beds and flower beds;
Making the edges of a garden pond;
Dry stream;
Trunk circles near trees;
Alpine slides
Drawing pictures on the ground;

The fantasy of a landscape designer or site owner can invent other ways to use sprinkles.

Benefits for plants

The use of dumping in landscape design serves not only to decorate the garden, but also to normalize the microclimate. The soil under the backfill layer is less susceptible to temperature fluctuations, in addition, the decorative layer prevents moisture from evaporating from the soil surface. In addition, the soil under the mulch layer does not form a crust, that is, sufficient aeration occurs in the soil. Therefore, if the roots of plants lie under the backfill, then they are in comfortable conditions, which ensures better growth and flowering.

Instructions for use

Most often, garden dumps are used in the design of paths and flower beds. In this case, laying the backfill is not particularly difficult, and can be done independently:

Determine the places where the backfill will be placed and develop a plan;
Dig a shallow trench or hole (about 7 cm);
Lay geotextiles or a regular film on the bottom, but at least 7 millimeters thick;
If necessary, make incisions in the geotextile or film and plant plants in them; it is necessary to pierce holes in the film for water drainage;
Fill in the recess with decorative fill.

Tips from landscape designers:

In no case do not fall asleep the root collars of plants;
It is best to apply the topping in the spring, in April or May, when the soil has already warmed up and filled with moisture;
Before starting work, free the surface of the site from weeds and debris.

You can combine with each other the dumping of various colors and shapes, achieving amazing effects. On the decor of 1 square. m. of soil, you will need approximately 25 kg of wood filling or 50 kg of stone. The use of organic backfill does not require geotextile or film, it can be placed directly on the ground.

Aftercare

To keep the decorative backfill in proper condition, you need to regularly carry out three procedures:

Cleaning the surface from debris;
Getting rid of germinated weeds;
Update of organic dumping.

Periodic performance of these actions is necessary so that the decorative surface does not lose its aesthetic purpose.

Conclusion

Backfill applications can be found in almost any landscaping project. Using this material will help you add new touches to the look of the garden. The decorative effect of the sprinkling will be especially noticeable in spring and autumn, when there are no bright colors in the garden yet. A wide choice of materials will help you find the perfect solution for any project, and the ease of installation will allow you to do the work yourself.