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Gravel Gardens

Neat, simple entrance This simple, elegant design looks good year round. Elegia tectorum skirts the base of the Cabbage tree in a circle of stones. Lampranthus and other vygies soften the hard materials.	Annual daisies Annuals add a brush of informality to this stone floor.	Use heat-hardy plants Daisy annual, aloes, gazanias, Felicia and Agapanthus thrive in the hot sun.	Choose plants to handle the heat Bulbine, Crassula and aloes are water wise and heat-hardy plants to use in a gravel bed.	Generous focal point An out-sized red pot relieves the blur of foliage and rock.
Gravel plants Aloes, grasses and succulents are natural bedfellows for a gravel garden.	Announcing guests A meandering gravel entrance path to inspire guests - and the crunch underfoot announces their arrival.	A raised edge keeps all in place Edging keeps this narrow gravel bed secure, and makes it easy to trim the adjacent lawn.	Perfect pathway partners Simple round pavers provide secure footing	Divide the space Small islands provide interest and wildlife refuge, help to break up the glare of gravel, and creates the popular 'room' effect in the landscape.
Choose daisies for bright colour Plant daisies to spread with exuberance across the gravel floor - and provide pollen for insects.	Define the edge Use small rocks to define the edges of the gravel floor and prevent stones and adjacent soil from mixing together.	Adding outliers Adding a few outliers like these Falkia repens as escapees from the bed adds charm and informality to a design. Speckled Ledebouria create a seasonal edging and mix well with the soft mounds of Falkia.	Entertaining Africa-style A gravel and paved floor links the rock pool to the braai patio.	Add strong base weight Large pots and generously-sized pavers adds strong contrast to the spread of small gravel stones.
Gravel path Without an edging, the gravel bleeds into the adjacent bed and will need to be replenished.	Gravel path Alternating pavers and grass clumps turn this short path into a feature of interest and slows the pace of movement along its length.	Quirky features Tiny succulents turn this rock into a small, single feature of interest.	Aristida junciformis for a soft edge Grasses and gravel work well together and help to both soften and cool the hard driveway materials.	Water feature in a gravel scape A gravel garden expands the size and diversity of this entrance water feature.
Groundcover of stones A gravel floor allows for generous spacing between feature plants.	Add small artistic touches Expansive gravel floors are bland, boring, hot and unfriendly to wildlife. Add pockets of interest to break up the space.	Stone edging Use small rocks to edge an adjacent bed.	Firepit space Use gravel to provide generous space around a firepit.	Uncommon combination Grassland Dierama provide ethereal movement to this hard, static design. They may not survive long term in this setting though.
Neat and clean Gravel provides a neat, clean floor around the house - and the crunch underfoot adds a bonus security feature.

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