Covering garden with pebbles

johnnysmurfman

Hey,

I want to cover my garden with brown pebbles because nothing will grow in it no matter how hard I have tried and the whole area is polluted with weeds. I'm just a bit worried about the amount of pebbles I'd need. They cost about 120 euro per tonne so I don't want to order too many and be lumbered with the ones I have left over.

I have an area of 546 square feet to cover. I'll be levelling the ground and putting a plastic membrane on top of the clay and then the pebbles are going to go on top of the membrane. Has anyone any idea of how many square feet one tonne of pebbles should cover? Would I need 3 tonnes to do the whole job? I'd appreciate any help on this matter.

Thanks.

ircoha

johnnysmurfman wrote:

Hey,

I want to cover my garden with brown pebbles because nothing will grow in it no matter how hard I have tried and the whole area is polluted with weeds. I'm just a bit worried about the amount of pebbles I'd need. They cost about 120 euro per tonne so I don't want to order too many and be lumbered with the ones I have left over.

I have an area of 546 square feet to cover. I'll be levelling the ground and putting a plastic membrane on top of the clay and then the pebbles are going to go on top of the membrane. Has anyone any idea of how many square feet one tonne of pebbles should cover? Would I need 3 tonnes to do the whole job? I'd appreciate any help on this matter.

Thanks.

I dont think u should do that but u did not ask for an opinion.

One prob with the membrane is that the gravel will move easily on it.

Anyway the answer is arrived at as follows:

545 sq feet is c 50 sq metres.
Allow an inch of pebble or 25mm so 1.25 cubic metres

The problem is what figure to use as density of the pebbles

http://www.simetric.co.uk/si_materials.htm

So if we say 1600kg/m cubed then 2 tonne

If we say 2.4t/m cubed then 3 tonne

Hope this helps

Hopefully some one else will provide a more exact figure for the pebbles

GreeBo

dont give up on your garden..once you put down stones you will never bother taking them up and not having a garden will be a negative if/when you sell....

tabatha

i did my garden in patio, peddles and cobble during the summer and it looks fantastic. i got breathable membrane put under the stones so that i could plant stuff, actually its called plantex. i put some stuff in the pebbles and it looks so well. maintenance free and looks great. i think there is no need for grass really. it was so nice to come out on a summers evening for a bbq or a glass of wine and not have to worry about the grass being to long. i did it as i got a swimming pool and i didnt want soggy muddy grass.

Reyman

I agree with Ircoha - I wouldn't wreck my garden with pebbles -- they look awful and you'll definitely reduce the value of your house.

But anyway if you're going to do it, don't put plastic under it because the whole place will become flooded with every shower of rain. Use one of those permeable black fibre sheets --you can get them in the garden centres

You also need to think how you're going to keep the place clean particularly in the autumn because the leaves get right into the gravel and you can't get them up.

Sonnenblumen

Reyman wrote:

I agree with Ircoha - I wouldn't wreck my garden with pebbles -- they look awful and you'll definitely reduce the value of your house.

But anyway if you're going to do it, don't put plastic under it because the whole place will become flooded with every shower of rain. Use one of those permeable black fibre sheets --you can get them in the garden centres

You also need to think how you're going to keep the place clean particularly in the autumn because the leaves get right into the gravel and you can't get them up.

Nonsense, some of the nicest gardens are stone gardens, and anyone who says otherwise hasn't a clue what they are talking about. Like everything else , if it ain't done properly you will end up with a visual mess. For those considering a stone garden, do not use plastic/PVC sheets, instead pick a good quality/grade horticultural membrane, ie allows water to penetrate but prevents weeds. There are several brandnames and be careful some of the grades available in the popular DIY stores offer varying qualities, eg 3-5 years life expectancy. Better go for professional grade Mypex.

Removing fallen leaf etc from stones is simple with a garden vac/blower. A stone garden is not only easy to maintain but can frequently complement other garden areas with it's own unique visual style and planting arrangements.

ircoha

Sonnenblumen wrote:

Nonsense, some of the nicest gardens are stone gardens, and anyone who says otherwise hasn't a clue what they are talking about. Like everything else , if it ain't done properly you will end up with a visual mess. For those considering a stone garden, do not use plastic/PVC sheets, instead pick a good quality/grade horticultural membrane, ie allows water to penetrate but prevents weeds. There are several brandnames and be careful some of the grades available in the popular DIY stores offer varying qualities, eg 3-5 years life expectancy. Better go for professional grade Mypex.

Removing fallen leaf etc from stones is simple with a garden vac/blower. A stone garden is not only easy to maintain but can frequently complement other garden areas with it's own unique visual style and planting arrangements.

Since, IYO, we dont have a clue what we are talking about, why dont u post a few pics to the the OP see "some of the nicest gardens are stone gardens"

Reyman

Sonnenblumen wrote:

Nonsense, some of the nicest gardens are stone gardens, and anyone who says otherwise hasn't a clue what they are talking about. Like everything else , if it ain't done properly you will end up with a visual mess. For those considering a stone garden, do not use plastic/PVC sheets, instead pick a good quality/grade horticultural membrane, ie allows water to penetrate but prevents weeds. There are several brandnames and be careful some of the grades available in the popular DIY stores offer varying qualities, eg 3-5 years life expectancy. Better go for professional grade Mypex.

Removing fallen leaf etc from stones is simple with a garden vac/blower. A stone garden is not only easy to maintain but can frequently complement other garden areas with it's own unique visual style and planting arrangements.

Indeed gravel can look good in the short term, but I'm afraid it's not a 'durable' solution.

You need to look at gravel where it's been down 5-10 years and you see a big mess with dirt all through the stones (no way to remove it ) and weeds growing up all over the place.

A proper finish with granite setts, cobblelock or similar is made to last and gives a pleasing long term result if you need to cover part of your garden.

Gravel is cheap and I'm afraid looks and behaves 'cheap'

Sonnenblumen

Reyman wrote:

Indeed gravel can look good in the short term, but I'm afraid it's not a 'durable' solution.

You need to look at gravel where it's been down 5-10 years and you see a big mess with dirt all through the stones (no way to remove it ) and weeds growing up all over the place.

A proper finish with granite setts, cobblelock or similar is made to last and gives a pleasing long term result if you need to cover part of your garden.

Gravel is cheap and I'm afraid looks and behaves 'cheap'

Reyman,

did I say anything about gravel? Did I say put a stone garden in and leave it alone for 10 years?? Any garden unless properly maintained will deteriorate over 10 years. As I stated anyone who says stone (chipped/pebble etc) gardens do not look good and/or inpractical, don't know what they're talking about.

Ircoha-I've no desire to promote our services here, so I will not be posting any pics. Sorry.

FranknFurter

If you are talking about covering the entire garden with pebbles, you may want to consider putting a no-pebble pathway through it. Wheelchairs + gravel or pebbles (of any size) do NOT mix. If any of your familly or friends ended up having to use one, they wouldnt have a hope of moving in your garden.

B

(Sand is also a no-go area for wheelchairs, it eats at and rusts the metal, just in case anyone is thinking of such a thing).

pbergin

I just started that job over the weekend, to do it properly you are going to need to dig down, put down and impact a few inch's of hardcore, then the weed barrier (not plastic) and then the decorative pebbles on top.
Its down to personal choice and the house, but I like pebbles and I think it is better suited to my house (detached in an estate with a small front garden)