Decorative Stones

Decorative stones are the perfect way to give your garden a makeover.  In the space of a weekend you can transform the mood of your garden with some well-placed pebbles, gravel or chippings.  The J Arthur Bower’s range of decorative stones comes in a galaxy of fashionable colours.  From moody blue slate and creamy limestone chippings to golden shingle and sparkling white marble you can choose the look you want. Let your imagination run riot or choose from these ideas:

Mediterranean Garden

• The Plants: Olive, Cistus, Myrtle, Lavender and Helianthemum
• The Stones: Pale limestone chippings or light gravels
• The Accessories: Terracotta pots and urns

Oriental Garden

• The Plants: Maple, Specimen conifers, Hosta, Tree peony and Bonsai
• The Stones: White marble, silver granite or slate chippings
• The Accessories: Blue glazed pots and granite ornaments

Seaside Garden

• The Plants: Escallonia, Tree Lupin, Sea holly, Fennel and tough grasses
• The Stones: Golden shingles or mixed pebbles and cobbles
• The Accessories: Driftwood, shells and found objects

Knot Garden

• The Plants: Box, Santolina, Wall Germander, Evergreen herbs
• The Stones: Coloured granite, white marble, Cheshire Pearl, Multi-Mix
• The Accessories: Sundial, Tudor-style lead planters

Awkward Corners

Perhaps you just want to brighten up a dull corner. Pebbles, cobbles and all kinds of chippings are also a useful and stylish way of filling in awkward little gaps that may occur at the base of walls and fences or between one are of hard landscaping and another.

Paths

Gravels and coloured chippings make paths that are both good to look at and hard-wearing. They’re also economical and easy to lay.  In a formal garden it’s best to contain the stones with border edging.

Water features

These are a great way to show off decorative stones as the colours are enhanced when the stones get wet.  Pebble pools are immensely popular and can be used with gravel, pebbles or slate.  For a variation the stones can be contained in a waterproof trough or urn.  For families with young children, this is really the only safe way to have a water feature in the garden.  For the truly adventurous, a stream or rill can be constructed with shallow water moving gently over a bed of gravel, slate or pebbles.  The stream could feed into a deeper pool if desired.

Tips on Use

• Washing - Stones get dusty in the bag and may not show their true colours until they’ve been rained on a few times. For best results in a water feature we recommend rinsing your stones before you use them.
• Colour - All J Arthur Bower’s stones are quarried and are not dyed or treated in any way. Colour will be stronger when stones are wet.
• Coverage - Larger stones will cover a much smaller area. Do check the coverage guidelines on individual bags before you buy.