Particularly elegant raised beds can be built from natural stone. The choice between the different types is very large, but which one you choose depends on various criteria. This includes not only the shape and texture of the stone, but also its durability, workability and color. Sandstone is one of the most popular natural stones used.
Which sandstone is suitable for raised beds?
Hard, resistant sandstones with a high quartz content and a white-gray color are best suited for building a raised bed. These types of sandstone are easy to work with and at the same time offer an ideal garden biotope for insects and small animals.
What is sandstone?
Sandstone is an integral part of architecture, as the facades of many famous buildings were built from the material - including the Strasbourg Cathedral, the Berlin Cathedral and the Semper Gallery in the Dresden Zwinger. Sandstone is one of the most common types of rock on earth and can actually be found almost everywhere - as a result, there are numerous mining sites around the world. It is a so-called soft sedimentary rock that is easy to work with.
What is sandstone composed of?
Sandstone consists - as the name suggests - of solidified (experts say "cemented") sand, which, depending on the type and origin, contains varying amounts of quartz and other sediment particles (e.g. clay, but also the remains of living creatures). contains. Sometimes larger chunks of sandstone even contain fossil remains, for example of prehistoric plants.
What properties does sandstone have?
The properties of sandstone cannot be specifically named because they vary greatly depending on their composition. In general, sandstone is a very soft, easy-to-work rock. The disadvantage, however, is that it weathers just as quickly - especially when it comes into contact with moisture. However, the degree of hardness increases with the quartz content. The higher this is, the harder and more resistant the sandstone is. Furthermore, sandstone tends to discolor due to moisture (e.g. rain).
Which types of sandstone are best for building raised beds?
Sandstone is available in many different colors - but not because the natural stone has been artificially colored. Instead, the different colors provide information about the composition of the stone and therefore its suitability for building raised beds. Hard and resistant sandstone has a high quartz content and therefore has a white-gray color. So-called iron sandstone is reddish in color due to the iron oxides it contains, while species cemented by feldspars and clay minerals take on a yellowish color. By the way, the latter are the soft sandstone shapes.
Tip
Sandstone walls are so popular not only because they are easy to work with, but because the material is also ideal as a garden biotope for insects, spiders and beetles as well as slowworms and lizards.
