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Incorporating Natural Stone Materials into Local Landscaping

J&J Materials > Landscaping > Incorporating Natural Stone Materials into Local Landscaping

natural-stone-materialsOf all the materials available for use in residential landscaping, natural stone is one of the most versatile and durable. The money that you will invest into purchasing natural boulder materials and decorative stone for your Middleboro landscaping ideas is a good investment, bringing you many years of use and beauty. In addition to being very cost-effective, natural stone also adds texture, contrast and color. It can also do double-duty as both a focal point and as ground cover, without requiring a lot of maintenance on your part. The rocks and stone that you choose for your outdoor living projects can set the tone for the rest of your home.

How to Choose the Best Decorative Stone and Rock
With so many choices available in decorative stone and natural boulder materials, it can be difficult to decide which would work best with your home. Between all the sizes – ranging from tiny gravel to larger river stones, natural flagstone on up to boulder size rocks – and all of the colors, it can be a tough decision. Here is a quick guide as to the typical design use for each type of rock so you can decide whether or not it suits the mood of your new outdoor living space or not.

  • Warmth – tan-colored beach pebbles and smooth natural-colored river rocks
  • Bright/Vibrant – white rocks, gravel or marble chips
  • Tropical/Relaxing – terracotta-colored stones
  • Minimalist – black lava rocks
  • Coolness – quartzite sandstone
  • Traditional – antique farmers, Connecticut tan, native stone, flagstone and slate
  • Soothing – lavender and pink westerly

One thing to note about natural decorate stone and natural boulder materials is that sometimes the colors deepen and become more vibrant when they get wet. If you want to double-check the color when you go shopping for Middleboro landscaping ideas, ask the sales agent if you can spill a little bottled water on a sample to take a look. Washing away all the dust and dirt that gets on the rock during harvesting and transportation can make a huge difference in how the rock looks and how it will look in your garden.

Decorative Stone Instead of Mulch
One way to use decorative stone is to use it to replace old, worn out mulching materials. While it will cost your more at the initial investment, but natural stone will not wear out and break down like mulch, so it will last you for many years longer than mulch and it will not have to be replaced. In fact, most rock can last for the entire lifetime of your garden or outdoor living area. Use different colors in different areas of your landscaping, such as pale-colored stones to brighten up shady corners and darker stones to add contrast to a bright area of your property.

Rocks and stones will work just like mulching materials to discourage weed growth. When you put down decorative stone, take time to clear the area of all grass and foliage. Completely remove old mulching materials and lay down landscaping fabric to create a sunlight barrier to prevent weeds from germinating. Cover with a couple inches deep of decorative stone for best results, using other types of natural boulder materials, paver stone, brick or other landscaping materials to create a boundary or edging. This will help keep your decorative stone stay put and not migrate down your driveway or sidewalk when it rains.

Create Natural Stone Walkways
Another great use of decorative stone and other natural stone materials is to create natural stone walkways or pathways around your property. Some homeowners choose to replace a cement walkway with a flagstone or Nantucket pavers walkway, while others choose to add small winding paths around a garden, leading from the front yard to the backyard or to another outdoor living space. Use a combination of colors, textures and materials, such as dark gray pavers with white or light-colored decorative stone as fillers, to really make a statement with your new walkways.

To create a natural border or edging, use large river rocks or other coordinating or contrasting materials to line the edge of your new walkways or pathways. Make sure to dig out the lawn or other foliage from the area where the border rocks will be placed so they will be firmly planted and will help to keep the decorative stone, gravel or pebbles in place during inclement weather.

Use Natural Boulder Materials to Attract Attention
One of the best uses for large rocks and stones is to use them as a focal point in your garden or other landscaped areas. Natural boulder materials come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. A large, unusually shaped piece can be placed as a centerpiece and surrounded by smaller rocks and decorative stone. Look for large pieces of native stone to be used in this manner to tie in the rest of your Middleboro landscaping ideas in keeping with the colors and textures of the region, as well as to coordinate with the architecture of your home. Choose from the following options in natural stone boulder materials:

  • Earthtones – available in ranges of 3-5 inches, 6-12 inches and 6-12 inch splits
  • Multi-colors – available in ranges of 5-9 inches and 9-12 inches

Build Natural Stone Walls and Retaining Walls
Another great use for decorative stone and natural stone materials is to build walls and retaining walls to help create different areas within your garden or outdoor living space. Here are just some of the beautiful natural stone materials that can be used to create large walls and smaller retaining walls for your Southeastern Massachusetts or Rhode Island home:

  • Antique Farmers – harvested from the western part of the state, these stones range from 12-24 inches in size and come in a variety of browns, tans and grays.
  • Connecticut Tan – another local New England stone, these stones come in thicknesses of 1-3 inches and come from northern Connecticut in a range of earthtone colors.
  • Appalachian Mountain – multi-colored wall stone that comes in 1-4 inch ranges and a variety of different finishes for a flat stack wall or veneer project.

Where to Get Decorative Stone and Natural Boulder Materials
J&J Materials has a wide variety of different types of decorative stone, landscaping rock, natural boulder materials, pavers and blocks that can be used to achieve all of your Middleboro landscaping ideas and outdoor living design plans. Our team of knowledgeable and experienced sales and customer service people can help you choose the best materials according to your project needs. Our delivery area ranges from Rhode Island to Scituate and down into Westport and Bourne. Give us a call or visit one of our Southeastern Massachusetts locations to see all of the materials we have available for residential and commercial customers.

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