Pride in one’s garden is a particularly British thing. While other countries and cultures certainly love their gardens, the British seem to have made garden tending with unique design and décor an art all of their own. One of the more recent ideas for sprucing up a garden and giving it a distinctive modern feel is through the imaginative use of beach pebbles.
We seem to like pebbles because of their rounded and smooth feel. They differ from gravel by appearing more sophisticated, elegant and stylish in a way. Pebbles are pleasant to touch and pleasant to look at. They fill large and small areas easily and without effort, and they come in a wide variety of size, shape and colour. In short, pebbles have a lot going for them and their use in the garden is only limited by imagination.
Pebbles work particularly well with water features. Strewn seemingly carelessly around one end of a pond or pool they can take on a beach-like appearance. Their use in large water areas can be to break up square and straight lines to create more undulating sinuous lines that give out a relaxed and lazy calming message. They can also help in creating a much more natural appearance to any garden.
This works well for anyone interested in creating a garden that is in keeping with the principles of Feng Shui. Straight lines are not good for the gentle circulation of chi. Lines that are winding and snaking are better, and natural stone beach pebbles can help enormously to achieve this necessary effect.
Pebbles work well as a covering on flower beds and plant beds for several reasons. For one thing they look great, but there are better reasons for using them there. They help to reduce soil erosion from heavy rains. They also act as a barrier between the air and the soil, thereby helping to reduce water evaporation. All this helps the plants or flowers to grow better, so you get all of the benefits with no drawbacks.
The most obvious use of beach pebbles in a garden is in paths or driveways. Gravel can be best for the actual main surface here, but pebbles can be used as a decorative edging or as a contrast to the gravel if both are used together. The main thing is to use your imagination. Try out various ideas and see what works best and what looks best.
Pebbles come in many colours. This makes the use of them in your garden a delight. They can brighten up any area and look strikingly modern, displaying an elegance and charm that other types of stone simply cannot do.
Do not go to the nearest beach or dry river bed and dig them yourself; there will probably be a local law prohibiting this and you could find yourself in a great deal of trouble as a result. It is important, therefore, that you source your beach pebbles from a reputable dealer. If you do it right and you will have a beautiful garden with a modern feel thanks to your imaginative use of beach pebbles.