1. STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE
All good backyard designs are about balance, using different textures to introduce layers to your outdoor space, and gravel is no different. 'The goal is to ensure a greater percentage of planting to gravel,' advises landscape designer Christian Douglas. 'Too much gravel and things start to look a little flat. On balance, we need more plants, not more hardscape.'
2. KEEP IT MINIMALIST
Gravel's "super-power" when it comes to a ground cover for your backyard is that it allows for planting through it without the need for dedicated beds that break up the otherwise uniform space. That allows for great creative freedom with placement, and even the opportunity for more minimalist backyards.
3. COMBINE GRAVEL WITH OTHER LANDSCAPING MEDIUMS
Gravel is a landscaping texture that plays well with others - in fact, it actually benefits from it. Its other great power is that its transitions don't feel as harsh as some materials, meaning it's an easy way to combine ideas and meld other textures like lawn and concrete, especially when creating garden paths.
4. USE GRAVEL TO HIGHLIGHT PAVING
Gravel most shines as a landscaping texture used in your yard 'transitional' spaces. These are those spaces that lead from one area to another, the verges and pathways that connect, but can be difficult to design without a clear function in mind.
5. CHOOSE A CONTRASTING COLOR
Color is one of the key considerations when choosing gravel, setting the tone for the type of space you want to create. Solid color styles tend to be more formal, while variegated shades are a little more organic-looking.
6. OR MAKE IT HARMONIOUS
The brilliant thing about a variegated gravel color is that it makes it easy to pick out a style that can color match with other hardscaping, helping the overall scheme feel cohesive, as in this modern side yard idea.
7. CREATE A SIMPLE LAYOUT
Gravel's versatility means it can be a great leveler for spaces that need to serve multiple functions. You might not, for example, want a seating area or outdoor kitchen on a patch of lawn, while vast swathes of concrete paving or decking can feel less organic than you want a backyard to be.
8. OR USE GRAVEL IN A MORE COMPLEX LAYOUT
If you're introducing levels into a backyard scheme, or looking to demarcate different areas, gravel is a great landscaping texture to have at your disposal, and can be combined with lawn, decking and patio in different combinations.
9. ADD INTERESTING HARDSCAPING
You can complement gravel with other interesting "hardscaping" that plays up different aspects of this material, and for this design by Fredrickson Landscape, the idea was to enhance the desert-style planting of this interesting front yard landscaping.
10. CREATE A FOCAL POINT
That freedom of planting that comes with gravel that we've already touched on makes it the perfect medium for creating areas that serve as focal points, whether that be in indoor courtyard gardens or outside windows.