The Benefits of Landscaping with Crushed Stone Instead of Mulch

By Ronald J. Pawley

A skilled gardener, Ronald J. Pawley installed a four-tier waterfall with a 38-foot creek bed in his back yard garden that flows into a koi pond. Ronald J. Pawley planted perennials and annuals to complement the water feature and chose to replace the traditional black mulch with firelite stone. Mulch is frequently used in gardens to regulate both moisture and temperature in the soil. Mulch helps gardens retain the appropriate amount of moisture while removing any excess. During the night hours, mulch also dispenses heat that protects plant roots from temperature variations.

However, mulch is an organic material that naturally breaks down over time. As a result, gardeners must repeatedly re-mulch gardens to keep their plants protected. Crushed stones like firelite offer many of the same advantages as mulch. Since stone does not rot or decompose over time, the time and expense involved in frequent mulching is eliminated. Also, crushed stone tends not to scatter during heavy winds because of its weight, and it does not attract insects and other pests like plant-based mulch does.