You have to put in a little more effort, if you want to create garden paths with natural stones instead of finished slabs. But pebbles always look nicer. You just have to know the tricks.
Even the ancient Germanic tribes jolted along paths and roads made of Rundlingen, also called cat heads, towards their goals. Our ancestors made ample use of the indestructible material, and one almost has to wonder, that the stones formed by the glaciers are still available in sufficient quantities today. Pebbles are the little siblings of the “adult” round ones. They've been around a lot over the course of Earth's history- and pushed along and getting smaller. They are also well suited for creating walkable strips between perennial beds.
ROUNDLINGS
Roundlings blend in particularly well with their surroundings. Specimens with partly smoother look the most beautiful, partly rough surface, in fact a colorful mix of granite, porphyry and sandstone. You can still find such stones from time to time on the edges of dirt roads, collected by farmers, who came across it while plowing. Who doesn't want to take the trouble, to collect the material on the spot, can also use the round pieces on the building material- or natural stone trade. Gravel pits also give off material, albeit mixed with sand and quarry stones, calculated according to solid meters.
Rounds are individually in one 15 to 20 cm thick bed of sand, Fitted tightly together, piece by piece, and with a fist (rubber attachment!) driven in.
Stretch a guideline on straight paths, the way 60 to 80 cm wide and up 20 Dig cm deep with a spade or shovel. The course of curves is cut cleanly in the lawn. Then the laying sand can 15 cm thick to be filled and distributed.
With board or bar, better with a long spirit level, the sand bed is smoothed off. Leave the edge of the lawn overhanging. Each individual stone is placed in the sand bed and tapped. The more precisely the stones fit together, the better the overall picture.
If possible, lay the stones flat side up. arching away (water drain) plan on, sludge sand.
PEBBLES
The building material is also a source of supply for pebbles- or natural stone trade. They are offered in a colorful mix or sorted by color and type of stone. They are also graded according to their size, in groups of about 8 to 16 mm, 16 to 24 mm and 24 to 40 mm.
A distinction is made between Rhine pebbles and glacier pebbles as well as white marble pebbles (Carrara), which are available in one color as well as in black and white and in a colorful mix. In contrast to the paths from Rundlingen, gravel paths require a lot of care. They need to be raked again and again, to present a beautiful sight. You should avoid it if possible, Build gravel paths near deciduous trees or dense shrubs, because it takes effort, to remove the leaves. The overgrowth of moss, which appears close to nature on cat heads, is noticeable on gravel paths.
The bed of the path, for example 30 to 40 cm deep. Below 10 to 15 Fill in coarse gravel, lay sand of the same thickness on top. Rake the layer of sand until smooth and compact with a tamping iron or board. A strip of glass fiber fleece is then laid on. The fleece layer prevents heavy moss growth. Cut off the overhanging edges with a blade. Then apply the pebbles.