12 Gravel Garden Ideas For A More Sustainable Yard

Unless you're okay with having gray, spotty, or wilted grass, it's necessary to maintain your lawn regularly. Plenty of this work includes mowing and weed prevention, but there's one major resource that grass soaks up like no other: water. As a general guideline, lawns need about 1 inch of water every week to thrive. While that might not seem like a lot, it quickly adds up when you consider the fact that a 1,000-square-foot lawn requires over 600 gallons of water to be properly saturated. And that's just one week — over a year, you're looking at over 30,000 gallons of water just to keep your front yard looking green. Because of this, many people, especially those in arid climates, are instead opting for low-maintenance gravel gardens to help reduce their water usage and minimize the amount of yard work they have to do to keep their space in good shape.

While a gravel yard might not give you the same lush, vibrant feel as grass, it certainly doesn't have to be boring. There are plenty of ways to spruce up your sustainable outdoor space, from incorporating raised beds for gardening to creating artistic patterns with the material. Giving up grass might be intimidating for some, especially from an aesthetic standpoint, but with these ideas, you'll wonder why you ever hesitated to make the switch.

Biophilic design is all the rage right now, and what's more nature-honoring than mimicking the look of natural landscapes? If you're looking for a comfortable addition to your gravel garden that's guaranteed to blend seamlessly with your design, consider using natural stone as seating rather than buying a typical bench or patio set. If you want a truly natural look, you can opt for large, rounded stones, but long, flat stones that are a bit closer to the shape of a traditional bench might be more comfortable for casual sitting and lounging.

If you have a small outdoor space or want to cut down your renovation budget — after all, gravel can get expensive — consider creating a small, relaxing enclave in a tucked-away corner of your yard. Surround the edges with pavers to visually define the patio, add some plants in containers or a row of shrubs around the edges, and use your fence for added privacy, if possible. Finally, finish off the space with a few comfortable chairs or a bistro set to build the perfect spot for enjoying your morning coffee, reading, or soaking up the sun.

Just because you decided to forgo grass doesn't mean that your garden has to be completely devoid of plant life. If you want to turn your outdoor space into a functional growing area, consider adding raised beds to your gravel garden. The gravel around and under the beds can actually provide a few helpful benefits when you're attempting to cultivate crops, like helping to encourage proper drainage, deterring pests that might eat your plants, and making the path more accessible for harvesting and maintenance, especially in humid or rainy weather.

Struggling to choose the right color of gravel for your garden? Why not incorporate multiple? One of the biggest benefits of creating a gravel garden is the amount of flexibility you have in your design, so if you're feeling creative, consider arranging your paths in unique, wavy patterns or pairing different gravel colors together to create a more interesting, bold look. There are plenty of color schemes you can try, but if you want to make a specific path or pattern stand out, choose gravel colors with plenty of contrast to keep things looking sharp.

Want to create a simpler look? Consider taking inspiration from Japanese zen gardens. These spaces are intended to encourage relaxation and provide a soothing area for meditation, so the decorative elements are typically kept simple, sleek, and minimal. You can apply this line of thinking to your own space by incorporating a monochromatic color scheme, utilizing clean lines, and minimizing unnecessary accents and decorations. To truly get the zen garden experience, you should also routinely rake your gravel into smooth, flowing patterns that are reminiscent of waves.

Swapping your traditional grass lawn for a gravel garden can help you take a more sustainable approach to your landscaping, but if you really want to do something good for the environment, consider pairing this approach with native plants. An all-gravel garden might help you cut down your water usage, but it doesn't do much for wildlife. Because plants native to your area have already evolved to thrive in specific conditions, they are low-maintenance and naturally attract pollinators like butterflies and bees, all while providing a lovely pop of color in your space.

Gravel lawns are a popular choice in arid climates, especially those that experience frequent droughts or have limitations on water usage. If this is the case in your area, one of the best ways to break up your gravel garden is by incorporating succulents and other drought-tolerant plants. For the most part, succulents are fairly self-sustaining — just plant them and wait for them to thrive. As long as they get proper exposure to sunlight and a tiny bit of water here and there, you can enjoy a flourishing, climate-resistant garden in even the driest areas.

Even if you haven't decided to go all-in on the gravel garden idea, you can use it as a solution in outdoor areas where you have issues maintaining the health of your grass. One of the biggest challenges is areas with near-constant shade, like those awkward spaces between buildings or along the side of your home. Instead of struggling to keep the grass green, consider replacing it with gravel, adding some seating, and bringing in a splash of color with a few shade-loving plants. Who knows — this previously unused area might become your new favorite hangout.

While gravel gardens carry plenty of benefits for those living in hot, arid climates, they do present one major issue. Gravel absorbs and retains much more heat than grass, so on days when there's plenty of sunlight, outdoor spaces can start to feel stiflingly hot. To help prevent this, prioritize shade. A covered patio area, pergola, or even growing a few drought-resistant trees or shrubs can go a long way in helping to make your yard feel more comfortable, especially as the weather begins to transition from pleasantly warm to oven-adjacent during the dog days of summer.

Whether you have a few gravel pathways or a full yard of crushed rock, you can easily upgrade it with the addition of stepping stones. Unlike pavers, all you have to do to install stepping stones is clear away the gravel and lay them down on your compacted base layer. There are plenty of different options when it comes to the material, color, shape, and size. Keep your space looking natural with real stone cut into organic shapes, or try out a more modern look using concrete stepping stones shaped into matching circles or squares.

Gravel gardens are much lower maintenance than grass, but they can still develop issues over time. If you have a gravel surface, you need to rake it regularly to prevent rutting and potholes. Installing a grid, however, can help to reduce the amount of work you have to do, especially in high-traffic areas. Some options, like the Vevor Ground Grid, are made of thin plastic that's designed to be undetectable under the surface of the rock, but you can also opt for concrete grid-shaped pavers if you want to create a visible pattern.

Gravel can be used as mulch in plant beds, and it logically makes sense to choose this method if you already have a full gravel yard. With that being said, however, you also have the choice to mix and match. Gravel is typically a neutral shade of gray, brown, or white, so if you want to bring a pop of color, consider accenting a few of your garden beds with a layer of bark mulch. It will still help keep moisture in and prevent weed growth and is even better at regulating temperature.