Using Slate In Garden Design

 

Slate is a wonderful material to use in the garden and it is actually far more versatile than people usually give it credit for. This article will examine how to use slate in a garden design.

Most garden designs benefit by the addition of natural rock but slate often gives the impression of industry and building materials where the rock is usually used. However it is a natural material that can be used to great effect with just a little thought and planning. If you plan to use slate in your garden design it is important that you understand the best ways in which to use this fascinating material. Personally I like to use slate where it may come into contact with water. Wet slate is often far more attractive than dry slate as the water brings out the natural colors which would otherwise be invisible. Also, due to the dark appearance of the rock, when it is wet, the brightly colored lichens that grow upon it seem to stand out much better than when it grows on other rock types.

The Perfect Uses Of Slate In Your Garden

A large slab of slate placed upon a few mounds of rock (or one large rock) at either end can instantly create a natural looking table perfect for dining out on. It may seem strange but such a table gives you the opportunity to bring some interior design aspects out into the garden and even the simple addition of a vase of garden flowers place upon it can add beauty to your garden design.

Slate is the perfect material to use to create low walled raised beds. Even those with minimal skills in construction will be able to create a wall, of about a foot in height, out of slate due to the naturally flat surfaces it creates when the rock is split. It is easy to create such a wall with small gaps in it into which you can place a few plants such as garden pinks to create the feeling that the wall has been there for some time.

Slate is also a material which can be used extensively in modern garden design as it will blend well with both organic and manmade elements of the garden. I once saw a front yard garden design which was little more than a large expanse of gravel with a few mounds of slate here and there laid out rather like a zen garden. Smack in the middle of the garden, a little to one side, was a larger mound of broken slate with a large rusted spoked wheel resting against it. Here and there small flowers appeared to poke through the gravel and in amongst the mounds of slate a few low growing rockery plants brought color to the mound. Overall the design was a stroke of genius and gave the impression of some kind of abandoned mine which had been reclaimed by nature. Maybe the person who lived in the house was once miner or even a slate mine but I never had the opportunity to find out.

Isn't it strange how a striking design can remain with you for a great many years?

 

More articles about garden design >