Picture this: your garden, stealing the spotlight on Facebook’s newsfeed. Sounds like a parallel world dream, right? Well, it’s time to make it a reality with our guide to the ten most unique, large landscaping rocks around!
From volcanic rocks that pack a punch to the serene beauty of beach pebbles, we’ll explore them all. But hold onto your sunhat because we’re not stopping there – we’ll also dish out the types of landscaping rocks, their prices, pros, cons, and more. So, let’s get scrolling and make your garden go viral!
Ps. We’ve a special surprise under the 10th one! Make sure you buy it for the best, eyecatching garden ever!
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Top Insights
You can find most landscaping rocks types for around ₹100-300 per kg. However, river rocks, lava rocks, and other types may value up to ₹1,000 based on size and availability.
Crushed stone, River rocks, Boulders & Rubble stones are some of the best landscaping rocks to reduce water stagnation, root rot and fungal growth.
Need colored red, green, blue or gray landscaping rocks? Well, the all-natural beach or river stones may be the right options for you!
How to Choose the Perfect Landscaping Rocks Types for Your Home Garden?
When you’re dealing with landscaping rocks types, it’s more than just moving dirt and site stones around plants. Think about stuff like color, size, weight, and the other factors listed below:
- Drainage: Worried about site drainage? Try using rough materials like crushed gravel or river pebbles to prevent your site from being a marshy mess!
- Weight & Size: Are you thinking of using your rocks for walkways or edging? Well, smaller rocks are great for edging, medium ones are perfect for walkways. Larger ones, on the other hand look fantastic around ponds and streams!
- Garden Style: Go for round or abstract river rock gravel for ethnic French or cottage gardens. However, if you have a minimal or contemporary garden, cobblestones or colored landscaping rocks will also work well!
- Colored Landscaping Rocks: Consider the color of your house; pick black or grayish rocks to contrast your pine-wood cottage, or go with white or buff ones if you have a minimal exposed concrete bungalow!
- Textured: Never use one-single rock for your entire garden; always mix and match smooth pebbles, coarse lava stones and rough gravel near the plants.
10 Best Landscaping Rocks to Win the Internet in 2024
Let’s be honest! 2024 is all about Gen-z colors, vibes and ‘yo-moments.’ So, technically, no one likes a plain, boring garden with soiled walkways, swamps and mosquitoes all around!
Want a quick fix? Well, you don’t have to do much (you don’t have to uproot your plants either!). You just have to lay some decorative landscaping rocks! And today, we’re here to tell you about those!
1. Crushed Stone
| Average Cost | ₹300 – 2,000/kg as per quality ($5 – 200 CFT) |
| Rough Size | 1–3” for edging, pathways and drainage applications |
| Best Used For | Edging around larger shrubs or trees, Levelling of Pathways, Patios & Drainage |
Just like the name says, crushed stone is basically broken granite, marble, basalt or limestone for bordering and drainage. But this one is super durable; Trust me, it’ll handle all your rain, snow and frost like a pro!
Hence, most people use it for open low-traffic pathways and edging around larger trees and shrubs. However, we, at Archwhispers, have also used crushed stones for our dry river beds and rock gardens. Ah, the B&W mix looks so good in our rose gardens!
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2. River Landscaping Rocks
| Landscaping Rocks Cost | ₹300-500/kg ($8 – 15 CFT) |
| Rough Size | ½ –2” for garden bed borders and drainage |
| Best Used For | As a decorative mulch around plants, Walkways, Driveways & Dry Riverbeds |
So, river stones aka pebbles or cobbles are the smooth, round landscaping rocks you get from dry river, lake or creek beds. These are really very aesthetic and have high compression and tensile strength. No wonder people use them for driveways these days!
They also help cool things down, making them a must-have near rainforests or in tropical places like India.
As for the colors, people mostly use gray or black river landscaping rocks these days. However, we at Archwhispers suggest using lighter beige or white ones to keep your water-bodies and plant roots a bit cooler.
Quick Tip: Consider laying a landscape fabric under your river rock area to the overall maintenance and weed growth.
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3. Red Lava Landscaping Rocks
| Cost of Landscaping Rocks | ₹150-1500/kg ($80 – 240/ton) |
| Average Size | 1-3” for walkways & Over 5-6” for Edging & Rock Gardens |
| Preferred For | Decorative fillers around small plants, Edging & Rock gardens |
Red lava rocks are those black or red landscaping rocks made from cooled lava. They’re bumpy and not flat, so they’re best for borders around driveways and patios. Like, people usually use them for edging only.
Also, lava landscaping rocks retain and radiate a lot of heat; So, don’t use them for tropical regions like India. But if you must use them there, place them under big trees or pergolas for a bit of shade.
One more thing is, these large landscaping rocks reduce your garden’s soil erosion by more than 50%. So, do place them near any water bodies, fountains or bird baths to avoid relaying soil now and then!
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4. Flagstone Landscaping Rocks
| Landscaping Rocks Prices | ₹20 – 300/kg ($200 – 550/pallet) |
| Rough Size | 1-2” for walkways & Over 2-4” for Driveways & Patios |
| Preferred For | Walkways, Patios, Pool Decks, Retaining Walls & Steps |
So, flagstone landscaping rocks are the highly polished rectangular or abstract slate, sandstone, quartzite or limestone landscaping rocks you see in kids play areas. These are thin, super strong and offer completely flat surfaces without major height deviations.
Hence, they offer the highest grip and friction resistance, making them suitable for children and elderly alike.
It’s also available in various colors, textures, patterns and sizes; So, you can literally create any decor of your choice, from modern to traditional or cottage-style.
5. Fieldstones
| Average Price | ₹50 – 500/kg ($80 – 180/ton) |
| Rough Size | 2-5” for filling and edging |
| Best Used For | Edging, Filling, Retaining Walls & Walkways |
As you might guess, field stones are the regular round, rough and slightly coarse, black, gray or white landscaping rocks you get in the fields. These are usually formed by fused mud sediments; so they provide good drainage, bonding and weed control naturally.
Plus, these large landscaping rocks don’t retain heat. In fact, they lower the surrounding temperature over by over 4-5°, perfect for loose, barefoot walking in tropical regions like India. Oh, and their rounded, uneven edges provide some acupressure too!
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6. Boulders, Monoliths & Decorative Landscaping Rocks
| Cost of Landscaping Rocks | About ₹1500/metric ton ($100 – 600/ton) |
| Rough Size | 1–6 feet for seats, retaining walls and borders |
| Best Used For | Focal points, Sculpture & Art, Water features, Planting Beds & Retaining Walls |
You probably know that boulders are those large landscaping rocks used for cool stuff in gardens, like sculptures, water features, and even as seats or tables. You can even use them as steps; just arrange some flat rocks in descending order, and you are good to go!
Additionally, you can also use some warm or colored night lights, pendants or spotlights for a cozy, dramatic aesthetic with boulder landscaping rocks. One more idea is to paint them with any durable, outdoor oil paint for a whimsical touch.
7. Decomposed Granite Landscaping Rocks
| Rough Price | ₹90 – 120/sq.feet ($60 – 300/ton) |
| Average Size | >1-3” for Walkways, Pathways & Playgrounds |
| Preferred For | Large Walkways, Patios, Driveways & Playgrounds |
Decomposed granite or DG is basically the crumbly stuff that’s left over when granite rocks break down. It’s super easy to find, budget-friendly, and more eco-friendly than other options. And the best part? It comes in different colors like black, brown, and tan, so you can use it for all kinds of landscaping themes!
Quick Tip: Compact the decomposed granite landscaping rocks using a tamper and rake them regularly to maintain a smooth, levelled surface.
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8. Beach Pebbles
| Estimated Cost | ₹100 – 500/kg (Over $0.5 per pound) |
| Average Size | >1-6” for Walkways & Plant Borders |
| Best Used For | Large Walkways, Patios, Seating Areas & Decorative Use |
Beach pebbles aka Mexican pebbles are those smooth, colored landscaping rocks you see on renowned beaches as in Dapoli, Jasper Beach & Black Pebble Beach. These not only look so translucent and dazzling, they add a lovely Scandinavian vibe too, especially with dark gray houses.
The trick here is to use compacted beach pebbles for light traffic walkways, flowerbeds, pool sides and flowerbed edging, while going with the normal river flagstones for pathways. Trust me, it’ll add a lovely, contrasting yet serene nautical look!
Quick Tip: Compact the beach landscaping rocks with a tamper or plate compactor for a smooth, levelled walking surface.
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9. Cobble Landscaping Rocks
| Average Cost | About ₹15 – 100/kg ($15 – 50/sq.m) |
| Rough Size | 3–12 inches for edging & retaining walls |
| Best Used For | Walkways & Paths, Edging, Retaining Walls, Water Features & Patios |
Fell in love with the ever-enchanting, modern yet dreamy and maximal cobblestone paths of Santorini, Greece? Well guess what? You can now replicate the same look in your own garden!
Just dig out some soil from your pathway and lay some sand or compacted gravel on it. Then start laying your cobblestones in any pattern you like, say a herringbone, basket weave or running bond for a chic, Scandinavian vibe.
And you know what? These big landscaping rocks already have a good grip, aesthetic and drainage capacity; So no worries maintaining them in your busy schedules!
10. Rubble Landscaping Rocks
| Average Price | ₹30 – 150/kg ($100 – 200/ton) |
| Rough Size | 1-5” for edging and compacting |
| Best Used For | Edging, Filling, Retaining Walls & Walkways |
Roses may blush, violets may sigh, but your garden might be missing that extra “why?”
Are you in the same boat? If yes, it’s time to give your home garden a major decor by using gray, cream or brown rubble stones around your garden plants and walkways.
Yes, these do seem a bit uneven over larger areas but trust me, they look as textured and layered as in a cozy French cottage aesthetic. What’s more? These stop your planting soil from running all over the place and soiling everything!
Furthermore, rubble landscaping rocks are great for filling patio bases, retaining walls and water features too! Infact, most of my Pinterest followers even use them for their garden barbecues and fire pit areas. They look so natural and inviting; just like cozy Pondicherry houses.
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FAQs
A Ballast is basically a crushed, 4-6 inch crushed landscaping rock, mostly brickbats and limestone, used to level patios, walkways, driveways and plant beds before the final landscaping.
You can totally use large landscaping rocks for steps, chill spots, cool sculptures, or just to make a statement. You can also install them on any sunken concrete base and use them as a backdrop for your water features, drops or ponds.
Sunken rock gardens and plant beds is another wonderful idea! Just fill the small rock depressions with sand and potting mix and place in small, drought-resistant succulents for a unique rock garden!
You can also use large landscaping rocks for retaining walls, plant borders, and edging. They are super sturdy and heavy, so the wind won’t mess up your plant setup!
Conclusion
Now that you know about drainage, durability, price, and appearance of different landscaping rocks, you can rock your yard with confidence. Think about what works for you – budget-friendly pebbles or statement-making boulders. The possibilities are endless!
So, do share your rocktastic design! Post a pic or mood board in the comments and inspire others! Or, you can also contact our landscape designers directly to help you out!
And if you don’t have an outdoor garden at all, you can also hop in to learn some of our balcony garden & planting ideas to being nature home!
External Sources
- Learn how to use landscaping rocks properly from the Florida Friendly Landscaping Program
- Explore the use of stones in landscape development from Omobolanle K. James’s research paper on Academia
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ArchWhispers Team
We, at ArchWhispers are a team of passionate storytellers with 5+ years of experience weaving tales through architecture and interiors. We translate complex design concepts into engaging narratives, making architecture accessible and inspiring for everyone.
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This is a fantastic blog post! I’m so inspired by the creative ways you’ve showcased how to incorporate rocks into landscaping design. The rock garden with the cascading waterfall is a particularly stunning example. It really adds a natural element and a sense of movement to the outdoor space.
The use of different rock sizes and textures throughout the blog post is another great tip. It creates visual interest and adds dimension to the landscaping. Speaking of textures, I’m particularly drawn to the idea of using smooth, rounded rocks for pathways or edging.