| If you are thinking of creating a gravel garden you | | | | once. You could perhaps start with the most obvious |
| will find there is so much choice that it needn't be | | | | use of gravel and create a path or driveway. If your |
| expensive. It needn't be overly time consuming | | | | garden has enough room, then be generous. If not, |
| either, or even hard work. The secret lies in proper | | | | create a small path through it. The path doesn't have |
| planning followed up by proper implementation. | | | | to be straight and angular. In fact, it will probably |
| A garden with gravel doesn't mean a garden with no | | | | work best if it is not. |
| grass, plants, flowers, shrubs, trees or whatever else | | | | A properly designed winding, snaking path can create |
| you want in your garden. It just means a garden that | | | | sheng chi. When this is done according to the |
| uses gravel as a major feature in various ways and in | | | | principles of sheng fui, this can expel sha chi and |
| various places. | | | | thereby create harmony and balance in your garden. |
| The trick to creating a gravel garden that is | | | | The good energy can then circulate freely around |
| refreshingly different from the average is to be | | | | your garden environment. And even if you don't |
| creative and inventive. Think outside the box, for | | | | really believe in all that, it will still look great. |
| original thinking goes a long way, especially given the | | | | A gravel garden should mean a low maintenance |
| wealth of choice in materials available. | | | | garden. Gravel doesn't need to be mowed or |
| Gravel can be obtained in a wide variety of colours | | | | weeded, so using it where you normally do have to |
| and textures. You can get golden gravel, gray, red, | | | | mow or weed will cut down on regular maintenance |
| pink, plum, buff, white, green and blue gravel and | | | | work quite considerably. With a little bit of thought |
| various different shade of every colour too. You are | | | | you will be amazed at how easy it all becomes. |
| not confined to just gravel though. You can get | | | | Your flower and plant beds are great places to use |
| aggregates in the form of beach pebbles, cobbles, | | | | gravel or pebbles. It can look so much better than |
| slate chippings, river pebbles and more. The variety | | | | just black soil and it can serve a very useful purpose |
| can be seemingly endless. | | | | too. On hot summer days the gravel will help to |
| If the idea of transforming your garden from a | | | | prevent too much evaporation from the soil, thereby |
| classic predominantly green environment, like so many | | | | reducing the need for watering, and it will also help |
| others, into a garden where greenery and gravel mix | | | | prevent soil erosion when there are heavy rains. It |
| and match in ways that delight and intrigue, has you | | | | will also help to reduce the need for weeding. All you |
| thinking that you can't really afford the cost, think | | | | have to do is sit back and enjoy your beautiful gravel |
| again. It needn't be expensive. | | | | garden! |
| For one thing, you don't have to do everything all at | | | | |