Selecting the best landscaping materials for your garden is an important part of our work at La Menara. There are of course many to choose from, but today we’d like to make the case for using gravel—a natural material that is consistently popular—and with good reason.

First of all, gravel is very versatile. It has a range of uses in the garden, from creating pathways to being used as a mulch for flowerbeds. Another point in its favour is that is an extremely affordable ‘hardscape’ material, by which we mean that it is perfect for outdoor seating areas and patios. And, whilst you may think that gravel is grey, you’d be surprised at the range of colours it comes in, and the stones are available in different sizes. So, it is possible to use a variety of gravel types and colours in one garden project and achieve a dynamic look. In particular, it can create a stylish backdrop for vibrant coloured plants, and that is just one way in which gravel can make your garden ‘pop’!

 

 

Apart from its design benefits, gravel is also environmentally friendly for the following reasons:

• It uses less water. Replacing turf with gravel can save thousands of litres of water annually, even if you don’t have a large garden.
• It’s inexpensive to install. Gravel is very easy to work with. All that is needed is a layer of base rock that is then covered with gravel and raked over to create a smooth surface.
• It’s permeable and drains away excess water. There are a number of methods of using gravel in the garden to create a drainage system that keeps excess water away from the house, and from saturated flowerbeds.

 

 

At La Menara we have lots of ideas on how to use inexpensive and versatile gravel in the outside areas of your Marbella home, including using it to build a fire pit, give you a permeable driveway, design a stylish patio and as a base for water features.

If you’d like to talk ‘gravel’ – give us a call!