Below are photos and descriptions of some of the landscape materials available for installation in your project. Many of the products listed below are available locally. Some products such as river rock will vary in color depending on the source of the stone. Different veins in the river will produce varying color varieties.

Decorative stone is found regionally and has to be trucked from one area of the country to another. If you are searching for a specialty product, it may be necessary to bring in the product from a different state.

Many color-enhanced products are available in all parts of the country. There are two basic color-enhanced products. The first product is made of recycled wood products such as pallets. These products are ground up, and junk material such as nails, screws, and plastic is removed. Once the product is processed, it is blended with a color dye.

The second type of color-enhanced products is produced from millings. Wood mills often recycle their scrap for mulch production. These products are new and not recycled. With milling products, you will have more finely textured mulch with less flat cuts. Often these types of products tend to have a more splintered look.

If you are trying to figure out how much product that you need for your project, consider using a product calculator. Landscape materials can be calculated by knowing your areas square footage and the product depth that you want to install.

Here is a link to a great landscape product calculator.

Rock Landscape Materials

Pea Gravel

This river rock product consists of material that is around 1/4″ in size. This size stone is the easiest river rock product to install because of its small size, but it is the least practical. Since the product is so small, it does not work well in most landscape applications. You will find yourself picking this product out of your grass on a regular basis. In the right environment, this product can work fine.

Small River Rock

Small river rock is one of the most popular landscape products used in landscapes. This product ranges in size from 3/4″ up to 1 1/2″ rock. Since this rock is smaller than large river rock, it is easier to install. Depending on the river vein that the stone is pulled from, you may see white, brown, grey and reddish colored rock. Small river rock works well as a ground cover in your landscape beds. This product stays in place much better than pea gravel, but it still can work its way out of your landscape bed.

Large River Rock

Large river rock is a popular landscape product used in the installation of landscape beds. This river rock product usually ranges in size from 1 1/2″ up to 3″ rock. Large river rock does a better job of staying in place after an installation. Depending on the river vein that the rock is pulled from, you may see white, brown, grey and reddish colored stone. Large river rock works better than small river rock on areas with a slight hill or abundant water drainage.

Pond Rock

Pond rock is often used for water features or high erosion areas. The colors of this rock are the same as the other river rock products. Pond rock is usually 6″ to 12″ in size. Pond rock is usually never installed in landscape beds because of its massive size. Pond rock resembles that of small boulders.