Gravel garden ideas

Gravel gardens are low maintenance because a thick layer of gravel helps to suppress weeds. Plants that are suited to the growing conditions of a gravel garden also tend to be drought tolerant, which saves time on watering, while the gravel itself conserves soil moisture. The best place for a gravel garden is in a sunny area with sandy, free draining soil. It's hard to create a gravel garden on heavy clay soil, as gravel garden plants don't grow well in these conditions. For heavier soils, dig in organic matter and grit to improve drainage.

Gravel gardens are suitable for any size of outdoor space. Here are some simple gravel garden ideas to get you started:

Use contemporary planting

Use airy, see-through plants and differing heights to create a modern gravel garden. Planting in a gravel garden doesn't need to be dense and tends to have a more informal look. Gravel can also be used to complement features such as rockeries and water features.

Gravel garden ideas with pots

Gravel acts as a foil for plants and also looks attractive beneath container displays. The neutral shades of gravel are an ideal backdrop for colourful seasonal displays. Pots can also act as focal points in gravel gardens. If you're limited on space and only have room for one container, try creating a miniature garden in a trough or container, with plants like sedums, cacti or alpines surrounded by gravel.

Create a gravel front garden

Incorporate a gravel garden into your front garden or driveway. It will have a softer look than hard landscaping, it provides more places to add plants and if you choose plants that attract pollinators it will also be good for wildlife. Choosing gravel over a stone driveway is also better for drainage.

Make a seating area

In a gravel garden, plants can be dotted around, in loose arrangements and planted in between path pavers. This can help to create a beautiful space for a seating area, surrounded by views of plants in all directions. Gravel can also be useful in tricky shapes where there isn't room for traditional flower beds as well as a seating area.

Gravel garden for wildlife

Add a pond to your gravel garden to help attract wildlife such as birds, frogs, newts and dragonflies. Gravel is an attractive background for silver-leaved plants such as sage and the bright magenta flowers of rose campion.

Make a small gravel garden

Make the most of small areas of gravel by planting herbs such as thyme in the gaps between paving stones along a path. Choose low-growing plants such as creeping Jenny, Corsican mint or ground cover sedums.

How to make a gravel garden

1. Prepare your planting area, removing any weeds and stones. Lay out your plants before planting to see how the display will look.
2. Dig a hole that's roughly twice the width of your plant's rootball and deep enough so that the top of the plant's rootball is level with the soil's surface.
3. Remove your plant from its pot and tease out the roots. Place it in the hole.
4. Mix some gravel into the soil that you have removed from the hole - this will help with drainage. Add the soil around the plant, firming it in well.
5. After planting, you can wait for a few weeks to see if any more weeds emerge, then weed again before adding a 4-5cm layer of gravel around your plants.

Frequently asked questions

What should be laid under gravel?

There are two options. It's fine to create a gravel garden on bare soil. You may get more weeds at first, but you will also get seedlings from self seeding plants such as eryngium. To help suppress weeds you can lay landscape fabric over your soil before laying the gravel. You can then cut a cross in the fabric and insert plants through it.

Bear in mind that most landscape fabric is made from plastic and some can disintegrate into the soil, increasing its microplastic load. What's more, landscape fabric can prevent water and air reaching the soil, and earthworms are not able to reach the soil surface. If you want plants to spread and self seed, don't lay landscape fabric. For an environmentally friendly option, try eco mats, which are made from organic material, bio-degradable and have the benefit of allowing more water and air through, as well as suppressing weeds.