Starting an landscaping project with Armour and Other Stones

Image Credit: ARNOLD Masonry and Concrete

Landscaping can really change a yard. It can take a yard of dirt and grass and turn it into an oasis of rock, plants and water. It is a fun project and can be achieved through some hard work and the right supplies from your local landscaping company. While this can be contracted out to a contract company for a hefty fee, you will save money buying the supplies and doing it yourself. You will also get more satisfaction knowing you laid every stone and plant in your project.

•   Before you begin any landscaping project, you should research the type of material you want and how it can be used. The trick is finding out what kind of materials you need, as not every type of stone, for example, will look good against a house. For large gardens, armour stones make great stepping stones, ponds, or waterfalls. Or flat slabs of armour stone are also great for setting up a cascading flat waterfall, setting up smaller steps and make it easy to engrave your signature or a phase you want to see. Maybe you want that weather armour rock look to give it an aged feeling, or to accent a river path to give the land texture and depth. There is also flagstone, decorative ground stone, and various mixes of dirt and small stone to make walkways with. So take time and determine what kind of stone that will not only offset your house color but will also blend into the other stones you want to use.

• You will also want to consider if you want any plants in your project. There are several plants that thrive in hard and rocky conditions and will look good next to the rocks. The mountain alyssum, a yellow small flower or bush, can highlight areas of your landscape or look great lining the path of a walkway, stream or pond. Or if you are trying to match the color of the stone, the flower snow-in-summer is a good off-white flower that will blend into the stone but still give it a warm feeling when looking at it. There are also cottage pink dianthus and Serbian bell flower if you want to add some color to certain areas that will offset the stone and bring your landscape to life. Ferns like the fiddle heads and the maidenhair fern and shrubs like the yucca and azaleas grow really well near waterfalls and are also the most common plants that are planted when landscaping.

• Carefully planning how you want your yard to look should be the next step before you go to your local landscaping store and buy your supplies. How big is your yard?How big is your budget? What you want your yard to look like? These are important questions to ask yourself during the planning stage. Take time to do some research online and see what others have done to give yourself some inspiration. Also going down and talking to your local landscaping store and asking about what types of materials are common in your area, this will also give you some ideas on what you should use in your planning. After you gather this information, draw out your project and see what it will look like. You don’t have to be an artist and it does not have to look exactly like the object you are looking at, but it will give you a visual to think about in your landscaping project. Then you can go to your local landscaping store and buy your materials and start your project.

It will take some time, but the result will be great as long as you stick with it and stay focused on what you are doing.

All you need to know about Armour Stones and benefits

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Armour stones are beautiful stones that can be used for any landscape project, building retaining walls, decorating your borders around garden, fountains, walkways, edging of pools, pathways or for free standing walls.

Armour stones can offer a classic look to your landscape. They have been used for centuries as barriers against the ravages water on the sea shores and rivers. Armour stones were supposed to act as armour for the shore by being a protection for rise and fall of the tides. Today they are used as an ideal decorative material for landscapes.

Armour stones are unique in shape and size so they make excellent walls. They are made up of common limestone or granite and are available in various colors and designs. Typically they are limestone grey but the stone can be varied in color and size.

There are a number of benefits of using these stones in your landscape project :

• They have a solid construction which helps in building walls as these stones fit together easily and there is no danger of stone breaking.

• They have a low maintenance as they have the ability to withstand harsh elements and have adequate strength. The weather actually improves the overall look of the stone.

• They add a rich look to your landscape. Since no two stones are similar it gives a great complement to your landscape.

• They can be placed anywhere in your lawn to create a natural look.

• They can be used for flower beds as they look natural.

• They can be used for water fountains which creates an impressive look.
  
  

There are number of steps that your contractor will be doing to build a retaining wall with the use of armour stone:

• Survey the area of the yard where you want to build a retaining wall.

• Checking the availability of basic materials which are required such as the stones, landscaping fabric and 2 inch gravel base before beginning to build the wall.

• Determine the desired height of the wall and finding out the number of stones which are required.

• Digging a trench which is twice the width and depth for foundation of the armour stones.

• Finding a particular position for landscaping fabric. It ensures that the plants and weeds do not grow under the wall.

• Placing a gravel base about 2 inch deep which will depend upon the height of the wall. A compact device is used to level out the surface of the gravel.

• The armour stones are placed on top of each other in order to create a stable step which cannot be susceptible to dislodgement.

The purpose behind creating a retaining wall is to build varying levels of height for the yard.

Armour stone is an affordable option to add a dramatic touch for your landscape. It is best to use them for projects which are large and spacious.