How to Lay Landscape Stones | How to Install Landscape Rocks (2024)

Decorative rock and landscaping stones add style and character to your Arizona home. From a simple garden path or walkway to edging, steppingstones, ponds adorned with river rock, elaborate garden beds, and crushed stone driveways to illuminate your path, opportunities for creativity are endless.

There are as many decorative stone shapes, sizes, colors, and textures as there are design possibilities. Follow this brief tutorial on how to lay landscape stones to help you get started. Contact our qualitylandscape design contractor in Tucsonwhen you are ready to bring your vision to life.

1. Decide on Stone Placement

Map out your landscape rock placement before starting installation. Using a pencil and paper, or whatever method works best for you, create your design, and know with reasonable certainty where you will place your stones. This planning phase is the best time to consider what stone sizes, textures, and colors work best for dramatic effect.

2. Measure Your Space and Estimate the Number of Stones

After the drafting phase, take measurements of the physical space for your design. You can use an edging tool to draw an outline of your plan in the soil. Making a lifestyle rendering of your design will give you a better sense of how to lay your landscape stones. It may be helpful to dig in the proposed location of the rocks to get a sense of the size and number of stones needed for your project. Be sure to penetrate to a depth that would realistically keep the rocks in place.

3. Create a Form Soil Base

Be sure to press down the soil before placing the landscaping stones to create a firm base for stone placement. This soil base is especially vital for heavier stones requiring solid ground to prevent settling.

4. Install a Weed Barrier

Removing weeds from your finished landscape design is messy and disruptive. To avoid this inconvenience, build a weed barrier into the design by installing landscape fabric along the area of your rocks.

5. Lay Your Landscape Stones and Add Finishing Touches

Once you have decided how to lay landscape stones, you are ready to place them into position. While the design is entirely up to you, it is not advisable to stack stones as they can easily fall out of place.

If you hadn’t thought of it before, consider adding finishing touches to your creation, such as water features, decorative plants, flowers, or outdoor lighting to complete your design.

Contact Us

Decorative stones, rocks, and beach pebbles add beauty and character to your property. When you want professional assistance with the landscaping in your yard or need guidance on how to lay landscape stones, contact the experts at Santa Rita Landscaping, LLC. As the premier landscaper for the residents of Phoenix, Tucson, and the surrounding areas, weknow the current landscaping trendsand have the expertise and resources to deliver top-quality results.

Call us at (520) 623-0421 to schedule a consultation.

How to Lay Landscape Stones | How to Install Landscape Rocks (2024)

FAQs

How to Lay Landscape Stones | How to Install Landscape Rocks? ›

Non-woven fabrics are suitable for adding stability and blocking weeds under stones. If you're creating a gravel pathway, rock gardens, or using it in areas where you won't need to water often, non-woven fabric works best.

What do you put down before rocks for landscaping? ›

Non-woven fabrics are suitable for adding stability and blocking weeds under stones. If you're creating a gravel pathway, rock gardens, or using it in areas where you won't need to water often, non-woven fabric works best.

How do you prepare ground to lay rocks? ›

Installing Rocks in Your Landscape

Prepare the area: Remove any grass, weeds, or other existing plants—roots and all—where you plan to install rocks. Consider spraying herbicide to kill any remaining vegetation. Wait at least two weeks for the herbicide to take full effect.

How to lay down landscaping stones? ›

Purchase some finely-crushed stone and pour it into the area you've excavated. Spread the stone out with a rake to make it even and tamp it down with a tampering tool or compactor the same way you tamped the soil. This will create a more stable walkway and help your stones stay in place over time.

How do you hold landscape stones in place? ›

Using a strong adhesive such as epoxy or concrete can provide extra security and prevent rocks from shifting or becoming loose over time. Use Edging Materials: Another option for keeping your landscaping rocks in place is to use edging materials around them. This could include wood, metal, plastic, or even brick.

Should I put sand under landscape rocks? ›

Promote Good Drainage

Many people put down decorative rocks to help with drainage issues on their property. Adding sand to the landscaping design further promotes good drainage. As rain falls, it soaks into the sand, which prevents it from running through your property in little streams.

Should I put plastic under rocks? ›

If you're using landscape fabric simply to prevent weed overgrowth, yes, you can use plastic sheets as an alternative to landscape fabric. However, if you want to use this product under mulch like gravel, rocks, or other hardscaping material, you're better off sticking to landscape fabric.

What do you put down before laying stones? ›

One of the best ways to suppress weeds from growing underneath a new gravel surface is by using and laying down a weed membrane fabric before laying your new decorative stones.

How to stop landscape rocks from sinking? ›

Tips on How You Can Keep Decorative Rocks from Sinking into the Ground
  1. Use smaller stones.
  2. Use a landscaping fabric or plastic on the flowerbed soil.
  3. Install a good drip-irrigation system.
  4. Avoid using any power tools, such as weed trimmers and lawnmowers.
Oct 19, 2023

How to prepare the ground for landscape? ›

  1. Step 1: Remove Grass. ...
  2. Step 2: Loosen the Soil. ...
  3. Step 3: Remove Rocks and Other Debris. ...
  4. Step 4: Supplement Your Soil. ...
  5. Step 5: Level the ground.

How to prepare ground for stones? ›

Here are some tips on how to prepare.
  1. Clear The Area. ...
  2. Level the Ground. ...
  3. Lay a Weed Control Membrane. ...
  4. Laying Slate Chippings, Stones or Gravel. ...
  5. Choosing the right size of aggregate. ...
  6. Get the right look for your garden. ...
  7. How much gravel do I need.
Mar 14, 2022

What should you put under gravel? ›

What should I lay under gravel? We'd always recommend laying a weed resistant membrane under your gravel. This helps to prevent weeds, whilst being permeable to water and air, and it's extremely easy to use. Best of all, the membrane provides long-term protection from weeds so you don't need to use unnatural chemicals.

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