If you are looking for an excellent drainage and Mediterranean themed garden material then your ideal creative partner can be found in gravel. It can be used as a driveway material, for paths, edging, over flowerbeds and in pots.
There’s no need for gravel chippings to suggest a bland, lifeless colour palate. Gravels and chippings have their own characteristics, textures and tones and they assist you with the aesthetics you want in your outdoor space.
Gravel is widely available, an online search of gravel suppliers UK shows the popularity of the material and that its low installation cost, endurance qualities, almost negligible amount of maintenance and its natural allure appear to be timeless.
The Royal Horticultural Society states that gravel is excellent for drought tolerant plants like lavender, cistus and phlomis. Its effective drainage means that the plants will survive in hot weather.
The size of the gravel chosen can affect the visibility of the plants, be careful not to opt for a 20mm chipping that will dwarf your smaller plants and at the same time try not to pick the smallest gravel around tall robust plants, the difference may not prove attractive.
Different sized gravel of the same (or varying) type can be alternated or placed with a design in mind.
If you play with sizes, many gravel types accommodate large and small requirements.
UK gravel is often sized at 20-5mm and 10mm. The smaller size may be called pea gravel
You have versatility at your fingertips.
For less enthusiastic gardeners UK gravel has the benefit of limiting weed growth when laid over soil in a flowerbed or in a pot.
One tonne of gravel or chippings covers approximately twelve metres squared if laid 1.5 to 2 inches deep and an occasional top up is recommended but this is much less expensive than a concrete or asphalt installation.
One very popular option from the range of UK gravels including Cotswold Stone and Old English Chippings is the mellow buff coloured South Cerney Gravel. The rich colouring will warm your space even on the coldest day in the year.
South Cerney Gravel is partly rounded and it works almost anywhere in an outdoor space.
The gravel shape makes it less likely to flip and travel onto other areas and if you choose to have these as driveway chippings they won’t be fighting to jam themselves into tyres.
Interestingly, some suppliers call South Cerney Gravel Cotswold Stone but they are completely different products. If you’re in any doubt about which one you are being shown by a supplier then check where it is sourced from. This will differentiate one product from the other.
You’ll discover that stockists like Rivar Sand and Gravel who are expert UK gravel suppliers will offer the South Cerney and other gravels in either a loose load or as a bulk bag. For example, Rivar Sand and Gravel supply 450kg and 900kg bulk bags and for smaller projects you have the option of 20 and 25kg bags.