Just because we don’t live in the mountains doesn’t mean we can’t borrow the beauty of natural rock! In Edmonton landscapes, nothing provides a longer-lasting impact than the use of stone. If you’re in the middle of planning your next landscape upgrade, it helps to understand the role of rocks in the landscape and the many options to choose from. Here’s what you need to know before it’s time to ‘rock-n-roll’!
Decorative Landscape Rock Options for Edmonton
Decorative rock, sometimes called rock mulch, is the most common grade of landscape rock used in Edmonton landscapes. We apply these landscape rocks for a number of different reasons:
- It creates an attractive, uniform groundcover
- It helps some areas, such as new tree plantings, regulate and retain soil moisture
- It’s heavy enough that it seldom migrates and needs very little maintenance
Typically, when selecting river rock, you’ll have a broad selection of materials to choose from. The best landscape rock for Edmonton yards include:
Rundle Rock: If you prefer a uniform dark stone, rundle rock is the go-to. This dark grey stone complements landscapes with dark colours or stark contrast and looks great around foundations and rustic stairs, pathways, or paving stones.
Rustic Rock: If you love living in Edmonton but still want to capture that “Rocky Mountain” aesthetic, rustic rock is a handsome, jagged stone reminiscent of the shale found along the mountain cliffsides.
Washed Rock: This coarse stone, a coarser counterpart to pea gravel, is typically used in areas where drainage is a priority. You’ll often see this type of landscape rock used in dry creeks. It resembles natural river rock due to its assortment of colours.
Lava Rock: This is a fantastic, ultra-low-maintenance rock that is famous for its ability to retain moisture, repel pests, and suppress weeds. It’s often used as a mulch around new plantings, but it can also be used for moisture control in container gardens.
River Rock: Available in virtually any size, river rock allows you to create a very natural creek-like setting. We often combine sizes to simulate the way these stones look in nature.
Limestone: Like river rock, limestone is available in any size and can be used for many landscaping projects: from covering home foundations to building rustic retaining walls, to creating large-scale structures.
Pea Gravel: This is a fine landscape rock consisting of multi-coloured smooth, natural stones. Because the gravel is finer and lighter than most landscaping stones, it’s suitable as a flowerbed mulch.
Using Flagstone in Edmonton Landscapes
If you adore rustic landscape design, you’ll likely fall in love with flagstone. This incredible material allows us to create stunning, natural-looking settings in your Edmonton yard’s gathering spaces, such as patios, along pathways, and around fire pits.
What is Flagstone?
Flagstone is typically composed of natural stones like sandstone, shale, and limestone. The flat shapes are cut from larger stones and sliced into assorted sizes, which can then be pieced together mosaic-style in the landscape. Depending on the cut, material, and installation of the flagstone, you can achieve a very rustic or beautifully polished final look.
The Beauty of Boulders
Boulders truly complete the look of a landscape. If you’re just at the beginning of your landscape planning process, you might be shocked by the range of options that exist! Boulders are available in a wide range of natural stone materials and colours and serve a host of purposes in your final design:
- Seating: Mid-sized boulders placed around decks and gathering spaces can act as spare seating for larger crowds as they mingle.
- House numbers: Plaques announcing your house number can be attached to a boulder and surrounded by complementary stone to add grandeur and curb appeal to your front yard.
- Retaining walls: A garden bed or change in landscape grade can be beautifully blended in with its surroundings with the use of a boulder retaining wall.
- Wing walls: In Edmonton, a growing number of homes are being bought and built with walk-out basements. This desirable feature requires the installation of wing walls, which can be constructed with a wide selection of materials—but boulders are by far the most beautiful!
- Additional structure: Boulders can help establish boundaries throughout your yard and ground other nearby objects in the landscape.
- Water features: To create a natural-looking pond or waterfall, the use of boulders is practically essential.
Here in Edmonton, landscape rocks are a cornerstone to designs that will look amazing and last for years to come. Curious how the right rocks can transform your space? Contact us today to book a consultation with one of our skilled designers!