Gravel doesn't sound like a glamorous hardscaping material. It's cheap, ubiquitous, and really, well, gravelly.
But take a closer look, and you'll realize that the seemingly mundane material is a superhero. It's a maintenance-free ground cover. It allows water to drain back into the soil. And it acts as a natural French drain (because properly laid gravel doesn't puddle water). Not to mention, it has an elegant formalism when landscaped along the perimeter of a house.
Here are ten gardens with gravel to envy (with ideas you can steal for your own garden):
Above: Narrow gravel drains run through this Australian garden. Photograph by Jason Busch, via Greige.
Above: The eco-friendly South African home of architect Gillian Holl uses fresh rainwater to fill a koi pond and swimming pool; excess water can drain through surrounding gravel. Photograph by Elske Kritzinger via Visi.
Above: Gravel drainage around the reinforced concrete home of architect Philip Scroback in São Paulo, Brazil. Read more in Design Sleuth: Pavers and Gravel. Photograph by Evelyn Muller.
Above: A gravel drain lies beneath the sloping metal roof of a project by Austin-based Alterstudio Architecture (a member of the Remodelista + Gardenista Architect/Designer Directory). The project was a finalist for Best Office Space in the 2014 Remodelista Considered Design Awards.
Above: On all sides, gravel perimeter drains catch water from the gabled metal roof of a Virginia countryside house by D.C.-based Robert Gurney Architect. Photograph by Maxwell Mackenzie.
Above: Gravel surrounds garden pavilions in a Bangkok condominium landscape by Trop Landscapes + Open Space. Photograph via Land8.
Above: No tidy perimeter required: Gravel surrounds a home in South Africa from the European Light + Design Center portfolio of Delta Light.
Above: Also by Alterstudio Architecture, an Austin home sports gravel drainage along all exterior walls. Read more about the project in Steal This Look: A Silvery Blue Palette in Austin, TX.
Above: Gravel winds through the garden of this ultra-modern Bahrain house by Moriq, a design studio based in Hyderabad, India. Photograph via HomeDSGN.
Above: This house by Feldman Architecture, a member of the Remodelista + Gardenista Architect/Designer Directory, is sited on a steep slope in an oak forest in California. The structure was designed with environmental sensitivity in mind, and surrounding gravel allows water to drain back into the soil.
For more landscape roundups, see 10 Perfect Party Spaces in the City;Intimate Gardens for Two, and Gardenista Roundup: For Love of Boxwood.
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