At Soil Kings, you’ll find one of the widest selections of high end aggregates at an affordable cost. From staples, like lime stone and river rock, to the truly special aggregates, like purple sparkle rock and Alberta rainbow rock, stones are a fundamental tool in designing beautiful outdoor living spaces.
We often hear from homeowners who want to enjoy the vivid colours and unique textures that aggregates bring to a yard, but who aren’t sure how to best utilize stone in their own landscaping. Everyone’s first thought is walkways, but the uses of rocks are limitless! Here are a couple other popular ideas to get you started!
Mulch Substitute.
In most flower beds, there’s no substitute for wood mulch. Mulch is the perfect tool for controlling weeds while also benefiting your soil quality with better drainage and compost. But around trees and large, established shrubs, washed rocks are a convenient alternative to wood mulch.
A thick blanket of aggregates (4-6 inches) over a weed barrier will effectively prevent weeds from sprouting around your trees and shrubs. Like wood mulch, the stones will act as an insulator preventing sharp soil temperature changes. However, rocks don’t need to be freshened up each year. Unlike wood mulch, aggregate mulch won’t slowly decompose. You just work with your landscaper to choose your favourite rock, put it in place, and forget about it.
Drainage and Erosion Control.
In Calgary, when it rains, it pours. That puts any exposed soil in flower beds and even your turf at an increased risk from erosion. Erosion is the natural process of wind and water washing away soil and breaking down rocks. What this means is summer storms are slowly carrying away all your valuable topsoil. For Calgary homeowners, the areas of your yard that will experience the most erosion are places with a steep incline and the areas directly beneath downspouts.
We recommend using a combination of larger rocks and pebbles to create a path for water to flow. Together, grey rundle rock and white limestone could be used to create a stone creekbed reminiscent of flowing water. Use a thick layer of these rocks over weed barrier fabric to effectively direct water all the way down your lawn to the street or into a rain garden full of hydrophilic plants, like swamp milkweed.
We love the variety of colours and textures that are unique to aggregates. Stones of all sizes bring something special to landscaping, and we can’t wait to see what Calgary landscapers and homeowners create using the affordable, high quality aggregates available from Soil Kings. Order online today, and have your rocks delivered tomorrow.
