How to Mulch Your Garden with Stone

Mulching a garden with stone can lend a stunning visual effect and a formal touch to any garden. Using stone is a completely different ball game than using plant or shell materials, however, and you will want to consider the differences carefully before making your final decision.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Gravel or
• Stone or
• Marble Chips

1. Stone ground cover in your garden provides shade to the soil, keeping it cool and preventing loss of moisture to the air.
2. Stone mulch does not suppress weeds as effectively as other types of mulch so you will want to place a layer of heavy duty garden fabric beneath the layer of stone. You will also want to take steps to ensure that leaves and other debris are not allowed to decay on top of the stone. The breakdown of the debris will create new soil ABOVE the garden fabric and allow weeds to sprout between the stone.
3. The process of feeding your plants is changed by the stone as well. Unlike plant materials (bark, wood chips, pine needles) which break down to feed the soil and your plants, stone provides no nourishment of it's own to the roots below. Again, you don't want to apply compost or other materials which will create a new layer of soil above the garden cloth. Try one or both of these methods instead:
   
   1) Use time release pellets to fertilize the plants in stone mulch areas. Unlike the stone, these pellets will break down over time and feed your plants throughout the season; or
   
   2) Using your usual fertilizer or compost and cool water, make a tea with which you can water the plants in the area where you are using stone mulch. Be careful not to let any of the solid fertilizer products fall onto the stone area.
4. A hard rain striking exposed soil can cause splash back, coating the plants with soil and mud. Stone is perhaps the most effective form of mulch for preventing this and keeping your plants clean and bright.
5. Talk to more than one landscape supplier before making your final decision as to the type and size of stone you'd like to use. Take into consideration the cost and availability of the various types of stone and let the suppliers be a resource in suggesting different types of stone to achieve the same effect in your garden. Use stone mulch ONLY for perennial beds, shrubs and trees.