How to plant a gravel garden | House & Garden

Requiring less watering and weeding than any other type of garden, a gravel garden is ideal for anyone with a busy lifestyle. Comprising freely draining soil covered in gravel, through which suitable plants grow, the only effort required is in its creation; after that, this contemporary form of garden largely looks after itself.

The gravel acts as a mulch: sealing in moisture (which means less watering is required), protecting against frost, and forbidding the weeds. The stone also absorbs and holds a lot of heat from the sun and radiates it to the plants, creating a mini microclimate. As long as it is sharp gravel (rather than smooth shingle), it also deters plant nibblers (such as slugs and snails) and plant squashers (such as cats and dogs).

Inspired by stony, sun-baked regions, such as the garrigue of southern France, a gravel border purposefully has a slightly sparser look than most garden styles, with the stone being part of the show. The classic inspiration is the wonderful Gravel Garden at Beth Chatto’s Plants and Gardens in Essex, and one of the most recent examples is the Delos Garden at Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent, which has been superbly revamped by garden designer Dan Pearson.

Planted with species that hail from arid, warm regions (including the Mediterranean, South Africa, and California), a gravel garden can cope with extreme weather, continuing to produce a glorious succession of scent and colour throughout a scorching, dry summer.

The Delos Garden at Sissinghurst

Full sun is the main requirement for a gravel border. Shelter is not as important, as there is a wide range of drought-robust plants that cope with exposed sites. The ideal soil is very free-draining: for instance, sandy soil is ideal. Even a