The ideal location for a gravel garden is sunny, warm and rather dry. Light-hungry, heat- and drought-tolerant species that also need few nutrients thrive here. A gravel garden is therefore a good solution, especially for gardens with rather poor soil. But even if such ideal conditions do not exist: you can easily create them, for example with the help of soil replacement.
How do I create a gravel garden correctly?
To create a gravel garden, first choose a sunny, dry location and remove the grass. Dig up the existing soil and fill it with a gravel-compost mixture. Create a planting plan and use drought-tolerant plants. Finally, cover the area with a layer of gravel or chippings.
Beautiful ideas for the gravel garden
Gravel gardens are not just a question of (simplified) care, but of course also of appearance. There are countless ideas for creating such a garden, for example
- as an accurate and artistic replica of nature like in the Japanese Garden
- as a natural replica of a mountain landscape like in a rock garden
- as a Mediterranean-style gravel garden
- as a replica of a steppe landscape
- as planting near the bank of a stream or garden pond
- colorfully designed gardens with colorful gravel and contrasting plants
- with reduced planting or very lushly planted
- or designed close to nature.
Planting plan makes work easier
Before you go to the nearest garden center and buy plants suitable for the gravel garden and other accessories, you should first think about what style your gravel garden should have - and which plants go best with it. Before planting, make a precise plan to get a rough idea of what effect the ensemble will have in the end.
Prepare planting area
In the gravel garden, the rock material is less of a design element, but rather serves to slim down the soil and make it permeable. In dry regions, creating a gravel garden is therefore easy. In areas with high rainfall, however, it is difficult to create suitable conditions. If that's too much effort for you, it's better to plant such areas with moisture-loving perennials. To prepare, do the following:
- Peel off any existing lawn.
- Remove all plants that should not be in the gravel garden.
- Loose the planting area deeply.
- Let them lie fallow for now.
- The resulting weeds are carefully dug up and removed.
- Use a digging fork to dig (€139.00 on Amazon).
- Heavy, clayey and/or heavily compacted soils should be excavated and replaced.
- In this case, fill in a mixture of grit and compost instead.
- There are about four shovels of grit per shovel of compost.
- Mix the individual ingredients well!
Once these preparatory work have been completed, you can start planting.
Using plants correctly – instructions
Before planting, however, watering comes first, because even drought-tolerant species must be well supplied with moisture before planting - this makes it easier for the plants to grow.
- Pot out the plants and remove the top layer of substrate.
- Here you often find weed seeds that you obviously don't want to plant.
- Now place the bales in a bucket of water
- until no more air bubbles rise.
- Now distribute the plants over the area according to the planting plan
- and check the big picture again.
- Now dig the planting holes
- and loosen matted root balls.
- Insert the plants and press them well.
- Water thoroughly.
Finally, the area is covered with a four to five centimeter high layer of mulch made of coarser chippings or gravel. Not only does this look good, it also makes it difficult for weeds to germinate.
Tip
The gravel cover has to be replaced every few years, as the material migrates into deeper layers of soil over time. This work is best done towards the end of winter.