Was your lawn a whole heap of hassle this summer? Us too! Lots of garden designers are turfing out trad lawns in favour of low-maintenance gravel that doesn’t need mowing, watering or feeding. And the more designer gravel ideas we see, the more we love them! So forget the notion of a bare desert of stone chippings – you can create a lush effect, solve shady spots, show-off plants and zone different areas, and enjoy a modern garden full of style and interest. And, with loads of gravel types, sizes and colours available, it’s easy to find one to your match your style. Here’s how to do it…

INTERSPERSE GRAVEL WITH PAVERS

There’s a strong trend to add linear pavers to gravel areas, both to make the stone chips easier to walk on and to look fabulous! This stunning garden was designed by Christine Wilford (greenardendesign.com) with a high proportion of linear black basalt pavers to gravel. She also interplanted between the strips of paving with creeping thyme to soften the hard edges. Tough enough to withstand being walked on, the crushed leaves smell amazing!

Get the look with Polar White Chippings, £7/25L bag, mitchellturf.co.uk, and Black Basalt Linear Paving planks, L900 x W200cm, £205/15 planks, stoneandporcelain.co.uk.