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Which Decorative Rock Suits Your Property’s Style?

Which Decorative Rock Suits Your Property's Style? - Soil Kings - Bulk Landscaping Supplies - Featured Image

As with all decisions about which landscaping materials to choose for your property, which rocks will best complement your home and yard is going to depend a lot on what sort of design and style you’re trying to achieve. At the moment, minimalist and contemporary landscaping designs are the most popular and influential. But many Canadians are steering away from yards that have the same look and feel of others in their neighbourhoods. Instead, these trend setters are turning to more exotic influences, such as Japanese design.

 

Minimalist Design is all about being as low maintenance as possible. That means no mow zones that take advantage of the natural weed-control properties of rocks and choosing native grasses as opposed to specialty grasses or non-native species. In minimalist landscaping, we find a strong desire to create a yard that is at peace with the natural environment — that means steering clear of invasive species and plants that aren’t climate-specific for the Calgary area. Rather than feeling limited, many Calgarians actually find the decision to stick with yardsmart plants liberating — these plants are made to thrive in the Calgary climate, so they require far less watering and maintenance.

 

Of course, if you’d prefer to go hyper minimalist, rocks in the place of grass is the way to go. Rock gardens are unfussy and ultra low-maintenance when used in coordination with a weed barrier. Rock lawns are also considered very trendy and chic — check out Pinterest for inspiration. When it comes to choose a decorative rock for a full rock lawn, we invite you to choose something with a bit more colour and personality — Purple Sparkle Rock or Alberta Rainbow Rock could both be good options. Alternatively, a bright limestone will offer a sleek, clean feel that can lighten a gloomy area. And Rundle Rock provides a debonair charcoal grey that is elegant for any home. Choose stones between 20 and 40 mm for a rock lawn.

 

Contemporary Design is particularly interested in hardscape with consideration given to every material in the yard. When it comes to contemporary design, you’ll want straight lines and geometric shapes crafted from mix and matching materials. Consider your use of decking, gravels, concrete and more. Each material should define a specific space. Use one variety of rock (40mm Alberta Rainbow Rock is a good choice) to create rigid borders separating garden beds, entries, pathways, sitting areas, and more. For walkways, consider a small size, 10mm Rundle Rock path. If you love the look of a cement stepping stone path, choose rectangular blocks and a larger, 40mm, sized rock.

 

As you design a contemporary landscape, try to make each area a similar relative size. Instead of having clear focal points that overpower the others, contemporary design is more egalitarian, allowing every element to shine in its own right.

 

Asian Influenced Design.

Japanese gardens have long been prized by people across the globe. As you consider your own landscaping project, you can’t go wrong looking to Japan for inspiration. One idea you may want to try is a dry garden — karesansui in Japanese. This water-wise approach makes use of gravel to meander in meditative streams through the design. By raking or aligning your rocks in one direction, you can create a stunning sense of movement without wasting water. If you already have or are considering adding larger boulders or bushes as accents, you can consider raking or aligning the rocks of your dry garden to form currents flowing around the islands created by these larger focal points. If you wish to rake the rocks into position, you’ll want to choose smaller pebbles — our 7-10mm Round Natural Washed Rock would be a good option. If you prefer to align larger rocks, consider our larger River Rock 2 to 8 inches. To craft a real sense of movement with larger rocks, you’ll want elongated rocks (rather than round ones) that can be aligned to create an illusion of direction and flow.

 

At Soil Kings, we carry high quality aggregates in a variety of colours and sizes in order to ensure that Calgarians can find the landscaping rocks they need to achieve their vision. Whether you’re working towards a minimalist rock lawn or an Asian-influenced pebble water feature, we have the landscaping materials you need at an affordable price. Order online today and have your landscaping supplies delivered tomorrow — contact free.