CRUSHING ON GRAVEL COCOCOZY

Australian garden with boxwood hedges and a fountain

An Australian garden defined by its manicured boxwood hedges, fountains and lovely gravel pathways (above)

TE knows it…I am obsessed with crushed gravel. I want crushed gravel in the next home I/we occupy. I say it to him all of the time. I want it in the garden, on the driveway, in the orchard surrounding the perimeter of the property…I want, I want, I want. I know…generally any normal “material girl” would like her guy to express his affection in the form of flowers, chocolates and extravagant gifts. The material side of me however is easy to please…just bring on the gravel. Weird perhaps? True definitely.

Maybe my trips to Europe have influenced me…but I love the idea of living in home with a gravel driveway…the crunching of the pebbles under foot everyday would remind me of a place like the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris…whenever I go to Luxembourg I imagine what it would be like to live in a palace like that…with beautiful gardens and walking through paths covered in gravel. TE and I were in Paris last month…meandering through Luxembourg, enjoying the grounds and soaking in the history, all the while, I prattled about how I wanted our garden to look like Luxembourg…with all of its beautiful gravel pathways.

Let me be clear, I am not a fan of total rock gardens with no greenery whatsoever…I like grass, shrubs, plants, trees, with a dash of gravel to create an organic but manicured look.

Three reasons to use gravel:
1) Softens an entrance – Some landscape architects say limiting the hardscaping in the front of a home can make the entrance more inviting. Using gravel instead of concrete pathways and driveways can make entering a domaine a far more visually pleasant experience.
2) Versatility – Aesthetically speaking, gravel can be used for landscaping in the outdoor spaces of Italian, Spanish, French, and English style homes for sure…lending to the romance of older traditional styles. Gravel though can also be used in very sleek modern landscape settings.
3) Affordable – If you use local gravel and not imported, gravel can be a cost effective alternative to hard surfaces in your garden.

Gravel comes in different forms, colors, shapes sizes…I like the fine gravel, almost sand like the best. Food for thought…which would I want! Here are some inspiring gravel outdoor living spaces, gardens and driveways that I am crushing on today!