Rose beds with light-colored gravel look particularly elegant. However, gravel is not the best option for the rose garden. Find out below the advantages and disadvantages of gravel in the rose bed and what other materials you can use to cover your rose bed decoratively.

Gravel and roses go well together

The pros and cons of gravel

Gravel looks pretty, no question. It also retains moisture in the soil without affecting soil quality or pH. And since a weed fleece (€21.70) is laid under the layer of gravel, the weeds stay away and the rose bed is easy to care for, right?
Unfortunately, that is not the case in the long term. The weed mat prevents weeds from growing out of the ground, but wind and birds carry seeds onto the rose bed from above and weeds can sprout happily. So in the long run, gravel doesn't save you from weeding.
Another disadvantage is that gravel heats up. While this can be beneficial in spring, it puts stress on the roses on hot summer days. Only heat-tolerant rose varieties should therefore be covered with gravel. You can find out what these are in this article on roses in stone beds.
If your roses can tolerate heat and you're willing to weed regularly (don't spray carcinogenic weed killers, which will cause significant, lasting damage to both you and the environment), you can cover your rose bed with gravel without any problem. This is how it works:

Covering the rose bed with gravel: a guide

  • First, lift off a few inches of dirt and level the ground.
  • Dig the planting holes for your roses and fill them with fresh garden soil.
  • Spread out the weed mat and cut holes where the roses or their companion plants will be planted.
  • Plant your roses deep enough in the ground. More on that in this post.
  • Set the bed border.
  • Apply five to eight inches of gravel.

The alternatives: bark mulch and ground cover

Bark mulch is often seen on rose beds. Experts disagree on whether it has a beneficial or negative effect on soil quality. Bark humus or ground cover is definitely better than bark mulch. Groundcovers are a bit more work, because they need to be watered from time to time, but they reliably keep weeds away and also bloom beautifully. You can find a selection of the loveliest ground covers for your rose garden here.

tips

Combine ground cover and gravel!

Category:

Vegetable garden