Gravel gardens are "dynamic and enticing"

Gravel gardens are "dynamic and enticing"

» 3rd February 2010 «

Britons should look into the possibility of setting up a gravel garden in the coming months, it was suggested yesterday (February 2nd).

Writing for the Daily Mail, Nigel Colborn explained that a wide range of shrubs, bulbs, annuals and succulents can be used as they all have vibrant and colourful blooms.

Despite admitting that maintaining such gardens is taxing, the expert also noted that "dynamic and enticing" patches can still be produced if people are prepared to compromise.

"Design a part-natural, part-controlled gravel area. If, for example, you want to ditch your front lawn and need space for a car, gravel is an obvious answer," he wrote.

"Where feet or wheels pass, install the weed-proof membrane. You can develop the rich flora of a natural shingle bed. Maintenance will be easy, because the growing area is limited, but the gravel garden should still look pretty all year."

Mr Colborn particularly recommended using low-growing Euphorbia myrsinites, perennial wallflowers, grasses such as Stipa gigantea and wild poppies.

A recent article in the Financial Times championed gravel gardens for their superior drainage ability in comparison with their wholly soil-based counterparts.