A colorful flower bed is intended to break up the garden and direct the viewer's gaze. The perennials help to structure the garden and create visual highlights. However, perennial beds are a lot of work, which can be significantly reduced by creating a gravel bed. In the following article you will find out how you can make a gravel bed appealing and which plants feel comfortable there.
Ground cover and gravel are a beautiful combination
plan and prepare
The first thing to do is to find a suitable location and select the right plants. The best place for a gravel bed should be sunny, as drought-tolerant perennials in particular thrive here - which in turn need a lot of sun. The soil should have a high proportion of clay, but at the same time be permeable and loose. If this is not the case, add a drainage layer before planting and improve the excavation with plenty of sand and compost. Lay a weed fleece over it (€21.70) which prevents the growth of weeds. Don't forget to cut planting holes for the planned perennial plantings! Only lay the gravel layer on top of this fleece.
Which perennials and plants belong in the gravel bed?
You can combine semi- and dwarf shrubs as well as ornamental grasses with tall and short perennials according to your taste. Mediterranean plants such as lavender, but also roses, peonies, carnations, noble rhombus or ornamental onions look particularly striking in the gravel bed. In principle, whatever you like is allowed - the plants should only fit the location. If you also pay attention to different flowering times, you can enjoy the bright colors for many months.
plant and care for
Once created, a gravel bed requires very little work. You should only water and fertilize it occasionally according to the water and nutrient needs of the plants. Watering also has the pleasant side effect that any dirt adhering to the stones is removed. In addition, the gravel should be shifted regularly, giving you the opportunity to loosen the soil underneath for better ventilation. Also, because gravel weathers, you should replace it about every three to five years.
tips
Instead of gravel, you can also use other rock material and mulch material such as bark mulch. These also suppress the growth of weeds.