A wheelbarrow full of gravel doesn't make a creative stone bed. To ensure that the front garden design with gravel does not end up as a desert of stones, important aspects must be taken into account. This guide gets to the heart of what these are. Read here how you can redesign your front garden as a modern rock garden.
How do I design a modern front garden with stones?
To create a modern front garden with stones, combine different types of gravel and stone, choose drought-resistant plants such as spring cherry, lavender, sedum or diamond grass and use stone slabs as a stepping surface.
Gravel and stones create dynamism - it's the combination that counts
Gravel and stones are ideal for front garden design according to modern criteria. The Mediterranean or Japanese rock garden are very popular. Thanks to a variety of grain sizes and colors, you can skilfully capture the mood you want. With a well-considered composition of the various elements, you can bring modern dynamism to the appearance. Get inspired by these tips:
- Edged stones interlock better with the sturdy surface
- Round pebbles crunch when stepped on and roll around uncontrollably
- Different grain sizes create dynamics, such as 32-45 mm as a stream simulation and 16-25 mm as a bank simulation
- Gravel and stones in warm earth colors create a Mediterranean flair
- Stylish contrasts in the Japanese garden are created with white, gray and black pebbles
When you redesign your garden in front of the house, sober aspects come into consideration. So that your visitors can safely reach the front door, stone slabs should act as a stepping surface that you lay between the gravel. Women wearing high-heeled shoes will especially appreciate this thoughtfulness.
The best plants for the rock garden – modern and easy to care for
The general conditions in the stone bed are different than in the classic garden bed. If you redesign your front garden with stones, the planting plan is made up of survivors who do not have any problems with drought and summer heat. The following species and varieties have been proven to meet these requirements and are both modern and easy to care for:
- Leader plant: Spring cherry (Prunus 'Accolade') or globe trumpet tree 'Nana' (Catalpa bignoides)
- Subshrubs: Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) or Beardflower (Caryopteris x clandonensis)
- Flowering highlights: stonecrop (Sedum), ornamental sage (Salvia) or pearl basket (Anaphalis)
- Delicate grasses: diamond grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha) and mosquito grass (Bouteloua gracilis)
Bulb flowers provide spring-fresh blooms when perennials and flowering trees in the rock garden are still in winter peace. Under the special conditions in the stone bed, classics such as snowdrops and crocuses with their penchant for moist partial shade are out of place here. Sun-loving imperial crowns (Fritillaria imperialis), steppe candles (Eremurus) or checkerboard flowers (Fritillaria meleagris) feel better at home.
Tip
Use narrow gabions as fencing to stylishly round off the modern design of your front garden. Galvanized wire baskets measuring 200 x 100 x 15 cm, filled with light-colored stones (€3.27 on Amazon) are recommended. This is how you create a reliable privacy screen without visually overwhelming the small space.
