Boulders, Rocks, Stones,and Pebbles

​You won’t find any of these things occurring naturally in the Lowcountry.  When I lived in Boston, there were tons of rocks – Roxbury Pudding Stone, Quincy Granite, Cambridge Mudstone, to name a few.  When I went to Graduate School, I lived in the Granite City -  Aberdeen, Scotland.  Beautiful silver granite everywhere!  Now, I have to buy rocks.  What is wrong with this picture?
 
There are no rocks in the Lowcountry.   Ever wonder why you need to return your oyster shells to shell recycling bins so that they can be put into the water?  The poor little oysters need something upon which to make their clusters.   Oyster farmers make large metal structures so the spat (baby oysters) have something to cling to.

"Suitcase" stones from Maine, Scotland, and Iceland.

​Since I love stones and bring them home regularly in my suitcase, I end up buying rocks and stones for my garden.  Savannah Hardscape is like a candy store for me.   I just completed an area where I placed rocks like I saw in Scotland to hold the soil.  The rocks are placed so that their pointed ends go up and they are imbedded in the soil.  Hopefully the sedum and other creeping plants will cover the tops of the rocks.
(What is the difference between a stone and a rock – a rock is larger and is made up of stone and mineral material while a stone is a non metallic mineral and smaller)

​I also love pea gravel, especially if it has some interesting colors.   All of the pathways at Agatha Christie’s house in Devon had pea gravel pathways.  I , of course, had to follow this and then “There Were Some” pebble paths.

This is behind my garage where nothing grows.

​Granite-  I  would never take you for granted -  I love you!   I was lucky enough to find granite cobble stones to edge my rose bed. My mow and blow guys are a little  enthusiastic at times and this keeps my flower beds safe from their weed whacker and they cannot damage the cobbles.
 

Another important type of stone to use is around the foundation of your house. If you do not have gutters like so many Lowcountry houses you may have places where the  rain water gushes off the roof.  Granite drainage rock is available at big box stores by the bag and it can keep your foundation safe from water damage as well as insect pests that like moist soil conditions.

​Well, I hope this has convinced you to rock and roll and has not eroded your interest.    Not to quarry though, I will be back next week with a clean slate and a boulder, bigger blog.