Over 2.7 million years ago, ancient human discovered the use of stones. In that time, a wide variety of different stones were used for a multitude of different functions. Fast forward to ancient Greece and Rome, where stones were used to create map mosaics and other beautiful artefacts. This is one aspect that has not changed, since the use of stones, particularly when landscaping, is a timeless classic. Here are a few tips on how to incorporate stone into your landscape design. This is known to most as “stonescaping”.

First things first. You have to decide what look you are trying to achieve with the use of stones in your design. Are you going for a specific theme or do you just wish to use them as a decorative tool? The design of your space is widely dependent on the materials you plan to use, and vice versa. Consider what look you are going for carefully before proceeding. Consider, for example, the natural look, which has a jagged edge to it, excuse the pun. This, naturally, is suitable only to homes without children or pets, as they could hurt themselves. For a softer approach, less rugged stone are used, which have many options too.

Next, you need to decide what types of stones you want to use. There is an unbelievable array of stones at your fingertips, ranging from cobbles stones to pebbles, semi-precious gemstones (which come in a multitude of shapes and colours to suit the rest of the design) and even granite, boulders, bricks and porous rocks. The options really are endless, since stones have been around longer than people. Marble, sandstone, slate and even stepping stones are also on the rise.

If you have used lighting in your garden or walkway, an interesting effect can be made by colour coding. That is, if you have green lighting in your garden, making use of malachite or moonstone softens the garden. Blue lighting could be accompanied by blue stone. Red lighting with garnets, and pink lighting with rose quartz. In fact, rose quartz is an extremely popular stone in the garden these days, slowly phasing out the use of plain white pebbles. That’s not to say pebbles don’t have a great effect, if you’re going for the soft, smooth, Zen or beach effect.

Stone or rock features are another avenue to explore. These usually accompany a sand or water feature, or perhaps a statue. That is, after all, technically stone, and can have a wonderfully elegant and tasteful effect.

Following that, you need to decide what size your stones should be. You can choose between stone chips, boulders, rounded stones and dimensional stones, to name a few. This too will depend on the size of your garden or space, as well as what effect or theme you are trying to create.