Landscaping with Stone, Third Edition E-Book

Pat Sagui

• Herausgeber: Creative Homeowner
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 225

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Updated with new projects, tables, and sections detailing commonly used landscape sand, gravel, and stone materials, Landscaping with Stone,Third Edition, is a complete and accessible guide to landscape design and outdoor projects for the home and garden. Discover xeriscape landscaping ideas, stone garden tips, water-wise gardening tips, and much more! Featuring a framework for stone landscaping ideas and designs – including a look at the different types of stone, sources of inspiration, and ways to think about stone in relation to other landscape elements – you'll also learn need-to-know tips for working with stone. Also included in this comprehensive landscaping book are 12 step-by-step projects for some of the most popular stone projects, including patios, fire pits, fountains, walls, rock gardens, and more.

Leseprobe

Copyright © 2005, 2009, 2025 Creative Homeowner

Landscaping with Stone, Third Edition (2025) is a revised edition of Landscaping with Stone, 2nd Edition (2009), published by Creative Homeowner, an imprint of Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc.

This book may not be reproduced, either in part or in its entirety, in any form, by any means, without written permission from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts for purposes of radio, television, or published review. All rights, including the right of translation, are reserved. Note: Be sure to familiarize yourself with manufacturer’s instructions for tools, equipment, and materials before beginning a project. Although all possible measures have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the material presented, neither the author nor the publisher is liable in case of misinterpretation of directions, misapplication, or typographical error.

Creative Homeowner® is a registered trademark of New Design Originals Corporation.

Lanscaping with Stone, Third Edition

Managing Editor: Gretchen Bacon

Editor: Christa Oestreich

Technical Editor: Mark Wolfe

Designer: Chris Morrison, Mike Deppen

Additional Photography: Debbie Wolfe

ISBN 978-1-58011-872-9

eISBN 978-1-63741-174-2

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022945995

We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to [email protected].

Printed in China

First Printing

Creative Homeowner®, www.creativehomeowner.com, is an imprint of New Design Originals Corporation and distributed in North America by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 800-457-9112, 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Masons, landscape architects, designers, sculptors, and homeowners graciously contributed projects and their hard-earned experience to this book. I am deeply indebted and grateful to them. I am also indebted to the landscape architects and educators whose books inspired and helped me distill a vast body of know-how into a “how-to” primer. To Managing Editor Fran Donegan, who came on the scene after the manuscript was complete, my sincere appreciation for his patience with a first-time author. Special thanks to Charlie Proutt and Danny Young for reading the manuscript and making suggestions to improve it; to Miranda Smith for her tutelage; and to Brian and Will for their good humor and understanding, without which I could not take on projects that add unimagined wanderings to our life.

SAFETY FIRST

All projects and procedures in this book have been reviewed for safety; still it is not possible to overstate the importance of working carefully. What follows are reminders for plant care and project safety. Always use common sense.

•Always use caution, care, and good judgment when following the procedures in this book.

•Always determine locations of underground utility lines before you dig, and then avoid them by a safe distance. Buried lines may be for gas, electricity, communications, or water. Contact local utility companies who will help you map their lines.

•Always read and heed tool manufacturer instructions.

• Always ensure that the electrical setup is safe; be sure that no circuit is overloaded and that all power tools and electrical outlets are properly grounded and protected by a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). Do not use power tools in wet locations.

•Always wear eye protection when using chemicals, sawing wood, pruning trees and shrubs, using power tools, and striking metal onto metal or concrete.

•Always consider nontoxic and least toxic methods of addressing unwanted plants, plant pests, and plant diseases before resorting to toxic methods. Follow package application and safety instructions carefully.

•Always read labels on chemicals, solvents, and other products; provide ventilation; heed warnings.

•Always wear a hard hat when working in situations with potential for injury from falling tree limbs.

•Always wear appropriate gloves in situations in which your hands could be injured by rough surfaces, sharp edges, thorns, or poisonous plants.

•Always protect yourself against ticks, which can carry Lyme disease. Wear light-colored, long-sleeved shirts and pants. Inspect yourself for ticks after every session in the garden.

•Always wear a disposable face mask or a special filtering respirator when creating sawdust or working with toxic gardening substances.

•Always keep your hands and other body parts away from the business end of blades, cutters, and bits.

•Always obtain approval from local building officials before undertaking construction of permanent structures.

•Never employ herbicides, pesticides, or toxic chemicals unless you have determined with certainty that they were developed for the specific problem you hope to remedy.

•Never allow bystanders to approach work areas where they might by injured by workers or work site hazards.

•Never work with power tools when you are tired, or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

•Never carry sharp or pointed tools, such as knives or saws, in your pocket.

CONTENTS

Introduction

CHAPTER 1DESIGNING WITH STONE

Decide What You Like

• Explore the Possibilities

Aesthetic Decisions for Stonework

• Developing a Design Direction• Inspiration from the Site• Use Props

Walkways and Steps

Stone Patios

Walls

Stone Features

CHAPTER 2PLANNING YOUR PROJECT

Defining the Site

• Site Evaluation• Become a Soil Sleuth• Create Site Drawings• Managing the Worksite• Professional Expertise• The Budget as a Planning Aid• How Much Will It Cost?

CHAPTER 3STONE AS A BUILDING MATERIAL

Stone Classifications

• Evaluating Stone• Small-Dimension Materials• Natural Stone vs. Fabricated Stone• Price, Availability & Quantity

Stone Products for Landscaping

Guidelines for Delivery

Learn from the Stone

CHAPTER 4TOOLS & TECHNIQUES

Tools

• Tool Preferences

Working with Stone

• Before you Begin• Shaping Skills• Dressed Stone

Mortared Stonework

• How to Mix Mortar

Living with Stone

• Stone Displacement

Protect your Plants

• Temporary Relocations• Saving Sod• Working Around Mature Trees and Shrubs• Changing the Grade• Altering Natural Watercourses

CHAPTER 5PATHS & WALKWAYS

Path and Walkway Design

• Complement Garden Features• Walkway and Path Basics• Edging• Walkway Slope

Stepping-stone Paths

• Stone Selection• Laying Out the Walk• Set the Stones

Gravel Paths and Walkways

• Types of Stone• Installing a Loose-Aggregate Walk• Spread the Loose Aggregate

Dry-Laid Flagstone Walks

• Walk Design• Lay Stone in Sand• Remove the Forms

Stepping-stones in Water

CHAPTER 6STONE PATIOS

Patio Uses

Installing a Dry-Laid Patio

Building a Patio

• Leveling• Calculate the Slope• Excavate the Soil• Add a Gravel Base• Add a Sand Bed• To Edge or Not• Choose a Pattern and Spacing• Set the Stone• Fill the Joints

Mortared Patios

• Choose and Dry Fit the Stone

CHAPTER 7LANDSCAPE STEPS

Step Design

• Rise and Run• Calculate Unit Rise and Run• Step Width

Building Steps

• Mortared Steps

CHAPTER 8STONE & WATER FEATURES

Water Features

Make a Concrete Water Bowl

• Mixing the Concrete• Pouring the Bowl• Finishing the Bowl• Maintaining the Water Bowl

Constructing a Fountain

• Stone for the Fountain• Pump Assembly• Installing the Pump• Fountain Maintenance

Dry Streambeds

• Design• Installation

CHAPTER 9SETTING LARGE STONES

Explore the Possibilities

Basic Shapes

• Vertical or Upright• Horizontal• Blocky or Chunky Stone• Arching

Surface Qualities

Creating an Arrangement

• Ratios• Spacing• Orientation• Quantity• Companion Plantings

Techniques and Tools

• Site Preparation• Placing Stones with Hand Tools• Earthmoving Equipment• Protect the Stone

CHAPTER 10ROCK GARDENS

Choose a Site

Prepare the Site

• Gardens in Walls

Choose the Stone

Arrange the Stone

CHAPTER 11FREESTANDING WALLS

Creating Stone Walls

• Stone for Your Wall

Dry-Laid Freestanding Walls

• Building Basics

Mortared Freestanding Walls

• Working with Mortar

CHAPTER 12RETAINING WALLS

Retaining-Wall Designs

• Preparing the Site• Building the Wall

Adding a Fire Pit

• Build the Fire Pit

Resource Guide

Metric Equivalents

Glossary

Index

Credits

INTRODUCTION

THIS BOOK IS FOR THE HOMEOWNER who wants to include natural stone in his or her landscape design. More than ever before, the availability of different types of stone and the ease of renting stone-moving equipment make ambitious projects possible—even for homeowners who have no experience working with stone as a landscaping material.

Stone can be used to great effect in all landscapes. For thousands of years, it has served our needs and our fancy. Craftsmen have quarried, hauled, stacked, shaped, laid, mortared, set, shimmed, and carved stone with a breadth of craft and ingenuity that is both awe inspiring and humbling. Those projects are an inspiration to all homeowners who want to include stonework in their designs.

It only makes sense that stone projects should include steps to protect property. In an era of increasing climate uncertainty, intense storms and severe droughts have become more common. These weather and climate events directly impact homes and landscapes by elevating the risk of floods and wildfires. Just as these projects appeal to the senses of beauty and order, well-planned stonework can also improve rainwater infiltration, reduce storm runoff volume and velocity, and act as a firebreak.

Stone pavers set in a star pattern surround a tree on this backyard patio.

Good stonework takes both physical and creative energy. It also takes the skills and procedures common to all successful projects: realistic expectations, reliable suppliers and subcontractors, good record keeping, patience, and an appreciation for sweat equity. At roughly 160 pounds to the cubic foot, stonework will test your mettle.

Landscaping with Stone can take the guesswork out of your project. Use the information to complete a project on your own, or rely on it for guidance when collaborating with a mason or designer.

Design and Planning

The first four chapters help you think of stone as a landscaping element. Use them to guide you through defining the overall style of a project, evaluating the site, choosing the stone, and coordinating an installation. A chapter on tools and techniques will introduce you to some of the tools that could make your project go more smoothly. The plan presented in these chapters helps you stay organized, keep your momentum, and make the best use of your resources.

Mortared flagstone steps lead up to rustic wood doors at this California home’s entryway.

Stone Projects

Chapters 5 through 12 each look at a specific stonework project. These chapters feature the voices of experience—homeowners, designers, landscapers, and masons who generously contributed information for this book. Their projects are from geographic areas of the U.S. where natural stone is plentiful and there is a tradition of using stone in gardens and landscapes. Each chapter includes design information, dozens of photographs of stonework projects, and installation guidance.

Creating a water feature that looks as if it sprang from nature is easier than you might think.

This mortared fieldstone walkway features a wood footbridge over a pond.

WHY DO STONEWORK?

Each of us has our own reasons for choosing to participate in do-it-yourself projects. Financial incentives, the pleasure of physical work, the joy of learning, and creative stimulation are all familiar reasons to do-it-yourselfers. If you possess one or more of these inclinations, you can complete a landscaping project using stone. Technical and expressive abilities are important, but more than anything else, success hinges on your mental and physical investment in the project.

Use Landscaping with Stone to help you add natural beauty and value to your property. It is packed with the inspiration and technical know-how that will help you transform rough sketches and inspired daydreams into your own designs and completed stonework projects.

This wall made of native stones is an ideal spot for a planter filled with colorful blooms.

1

DESIGNING WITH STONE

Stone may be the most versatile landscape building material available. Its qualities of strength and durability make it an excellent choice for garden paths, patios, and walls. But the decorative side of stone provides those landscape elements with a unique sense of style and makes stone a good choice for water features, rock gardens, and well-placed groupings that mimic nature or sculpture. This chapter will show you how to incorporate stone into your landscape design.

Decide What You Like

As you begin to plan your own project, you will need to make some decisions about the scope and elements in the project. What type of project are you planning? What are its proposed dimensions? What types of stone will you use for the project? Who will do the work?

Studying examples of existing stonework in walls, patios, and other landscape features is one of the best ways to begin to discover your preferences for stonework details. Stone found in nature, a neighbor’s yard, the local botanical garden, and everything in between are places where you can see how stone is used. Not only can you learn what is possible from these examples, you can also discover what you like.

This stone water feature delights the senses.

Dry-laid patios appear more informal than those with mortar-filled joints.

    GATHERING INFORMATION FOR YOUR PROJECT

▮ Bring home samples from quarries or masonry supply yards.

▮ Mark examples in books and magazines that you like, both whole landscapes and specific elements.

▮ Take photos of constructed and natural landscapes, and stonework that appeal to you.

▮ Take measurements and make notes to go with photos: location, type of stone, contact person, and so on.

▮ Notice how different path materials feel underfoot and how they affect your walking pace.

▮ View the most appealing projects and natural settings in all seasons.

▮ View projects in the dark with artificial light if you’ll use the area in the evening.

EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES

When trying to incorporate a new patio into your yard, add a rustic-looking stone wall to the garden, or build any stone-based project, rely on basic design principles to help the project best fit in with its surroundings.

SCALE AND PROPORTION. The scale and proportion of an object work hand in hand. The scale of something refers to its size as it relates to everything else. A 10-foot-high stone wall will tower over everything in the yard, including the people who use the space. It may be a good choice if you want total privacy and security, but a 3-foot-high wall may make more sense if you simply want to define an herb garden.

Proportion refers to the relationship of objects to one another based on size—the size of the patio is in proportion to the size of the yard. Good scale is achieved when all of the parts complement one another proportionally.

LINE. Simply put, lines define space, but they also suggest various qualities. A straight line implies strength and formality: a straight path almost always appears formal. A curving, winding path denotes a certain freedom and casualness.

BALANCE. In a landscape, balance refers to the effects created by the mix of elements you use. The features of a landscape are in balance when they look as though they belong together and the arrangement is pleasing to the eye. Balanced relationships can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical.

Remember that a stone patio will look its best when kept in proportion to the yard.

Water features like this one are possible to achieve with professional assistance.

    POPULAR STONEWORK PROJECTS

STONEWORK for gardens and landscapes generally fits into one of three categories: it imitates nature; it’s functional; or it’s sculptural. Some projects combine categories or serve multiple functions. Here are some additional stonework projects.

STONEWORK THAT IMITATES NATURE

▮ Ponds

▮ Streams and dry stream beds

▮ Waterfalls

▮ Rocky outcroppings

▮ Scree

▮ Boulders set in beds, open spaces, or woods

▮ Stepping-stones over water

FUNCTIONAL STONEWORK

▮ Stepping-stones

▮ Fire pits and fireplaces

▮ Pool surrounds and copings

▮ Erosion control

▮ Seating and tables

▮ Edgings

▮ Terraces

▮ Grade changes

▮ Lanterns

▮ Containers for plants

▮ Bridges

SCULPTURAL STONEWORK

▮ Specimen stones, one or a group

▮ Water bowls

▮ Birdbaths

▮ Carved or cast figurative and abstract pieces

▮ Relief carvings

▮ Mosaics

▮ Objects in stone or other materials incorporated into stonework

This unusual spiral design moves the eye to the center of the patio and then to the patio’s edge.

HARMONY AND RHYTHM. In a harmonious plan, all of the elements share characteristics such as size, shape, or color. An example would be a patio and wall that are made from the same type stone. Rhythm refers to repeated patterns. When you vary one or more of the above traits in a repetitive pattern, it creates a visual rhythm. The key to creating good harmony and rhythm is balance.

DESIGN TIP

Find Inspiration Everywhere

Check garden and home decorating magazines for stonework ideas; ask to see the portfolios of designers or masons; and go on tours of local gardens. To find local garden tours, check with local garden clubs and the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Directory. (Visit www.gardenconservancy.org for more information.)

TEXTURE AND COLOR. Stone is available in a variety of colors and textures. As you begin to design your project, you’ll discover that stone can convey almost any feeling you want—grandeur, elegance, simplicity, solitude, durability, utility, and order are all possible. Stone can even suggest something other than what is. A dry streambed is a classic example of this.

These well-placed boulders look as though they have always been part of the site.

A colorful planted border flanks a curving mortared staircase.

Aesthetic Decisions for Stonework

When you work with stone, you make decisions about the qualities of the stone you use, the quantities or distribution of the stone, and the way that the project transitions to its surroundings. For flat work such as patios and walkways, you also have to make choices about bedding—how the stone is set in place. The decisions you make about each of these factors will affect the overall look of your project and how well it is integrated into the site.

THE PHYSICAL QUALITIES OF STONE. The physical qualities of stone can contribute varying degrees of formality to a project. Variations in color and composition, the texture of exposed faces, fracture lines, and the size and shape of individual stones contribute to the distinctive character of each stone type.

Smooth surfaces are more formal that rough ones, large uniformly shaped pieces are more formal than irregular smaller pieces. For example, if you build a patio using 2-foot-square pieces of sawn bluestone set with -inch joints, it will be more formal or conservative than if you had used irregular shaped pieces of a stone with more varied color and with a rough or cleaved surface. (See “Choosing Between Formal and Informal Designs,” pages 20–21.)

THE QUANTITY OR DISTRIBUTION OF STONE. Quantity or distribution refers to how much stone you use and how you arrange and space the stone. Distribution includes the relationship between stones in a grouping of stones, the ratio of stone to vegetation, and the way you combine different types of stone. In both walls and flat work, stones fitted tightly together create a more formal project than those with irregular or larger joints. In some projects, it’s important to consider the amount of stone that will be hidden as vegetation matures. With foresight, you can create different effects by using seasonal changes. A hillside rock garden can be a riot of cultivated color in summer, for example, but can change to a wild, rugged place in winter.

Distribution is perhaps most critical when you make an artful arrangement of large stones. The stones must be close enough together to create a composition but be far enough apart that each makes a distinct contribution to the overall arrangement.

TRANSITIONS. It can be challenging to figure out how to transition from your stonework to the surrounding area, such as to lawn or a driveway. Fortunately there are many options from which to choose. If you’re not sure what will work best, try experimenting with different treatments in a small area to evaluate possible solutions. Ground covers, timbers, bark mulch, gravel, a grade change, and hedging are common transitioning solutions. You can even plant one or more shrubs to hide a difficult transition for which you can’t find another solution. Transitions around a patio are relatively easy and straightforward. Fencing, flowerbeds, hedging, or a stone wall are all commonly used.

It’s easy and tempting to ignore transitions until after the main elements of a project are installed. Don’t! Careless transitions detract from your project and may forever look like an afterthought. Some examples of these careless transitions include abrupt drop-offs from patios to lawns or a wall that ends in the landscape without relating to another landscape element.

Both dry-laid and mortared stone walls rely on staggered joints for stability.

Plant retaining walls with hardy plants to create vertical rock gardens.

BEDDING CHOICES. Stone is either dry laid or mortared in place. With either option, bedding variables affect the appearance of the stonework. Variables include the size of the joints, or spaces between stones, whether the spaces are filled in, and the fill material. As a general rule, mortared, uniform, narrow joints are the most formal. Going back to the patio example, if your joints are irregular and large enough for planting a ground cover, the effect will be more casual than if the joints are uniform and filled with sand. Again, experiment with different possibilities. Notice the choices that designers have made in similar projects. Observations like these help inform your decisions.

SMART TIP

Don’t Forget about Future Maintenance

When making decisions about bedding for flat work, think about maintenance. Mortared joints require the least amount of maintenance, though they do eventually crumble. Sand-filled joints need to be refilled periodically. Planted and sand-filled joints require occasional weeding from blown-in seed.

Expert craftspeople can create designs such as this outdoor patio seating area constructed from native stone.

    CHOOSING BETWEEN FORMAL AND INFORMAL DESIGNS

THE TYPE OF STONE YOU SELECT and its distribution, transitions, and bedding will influence the look and formality of your project. Here are some elements to consider.

FORMAL DESIGNS

• smooth surface

• cut or sawn stone

• uniform, rectangular shapes

• repetitive pattern

• uniform color

• homogeneous composition

• small joints

• uniform joints

• mortared joints

• one type of stone

• tall retainer walls

• uniform size and color of gravel

• large project (big patio, large water feature)

EDGING MATERIALS

• square timbers

• brick or other uniformly shaped stones

• gravel

• formal flower beds

INFORMAL DESIGNS

• rough or irregular surface

• cleaved or weathered flat surface

• irregular shapes

• random or multiple patterns

• variations in color

• nonhomogeneous composition

• large joints (¾ in. or more)

• irregular joint width

• sand, gravel, soil with ground cover in joints

• two or more types of stone

• terraced retainer walls

• mixed gravel

• small-scale projects

EDGING MATERIALS

• round timbers

• random-size stones

• bark mulch

• ground covers

In this sunny spot, stepping-stones complement rather than overwhelm the plantings in the area.

DEVELOPING A DESIGN DIRECTION

Have you collected numerous photos of stonework constructed with a particular kind of stone or pattern? Perhaps a particular color, texture, or shape of stone dominates your samples. It’s a good indication that you’re forming personal preferences about stonework when these decision-making patterns emerge.

Notice what is most outstanding about the projects you like. Sometimes it’s not even the stone, but something adjacent to it, such as water or a specimen plant. Specific rather than general observations yield the most information and build confidence for your decisions about these details. Asking questions about existing projects helps you identify overlooked considerations, too.

Often ideas and features that continue to engage you end up influencing the look of your project. Or you may deliberately incorporate specific ideas or features you’ve discovered.

Another indicator of emerging preferences is your intuitive response to a type of stone or installation. Sometimes this is called comfort level. Whatever you call it, the experience is an overriding sense that the stone, pattern, type of installation, and so on, is right for you, right for the site, or would just work well.

    ANALYZE YOUR RESEARCH

AS YOU LOOK AT completed stonework projects and natural landscapes that you like, ask the following:

▮ What do I like about the stone?

▮ How is the transition made from the stone to whatever adjoins or abuts it?

▮ Can I identify specific features or elements besides the stone that make this space pleasing to me?

▮ How do the shape, arrangement, texture, quantity, and types of stone contribute to the overall formality and effect?

▮ How would I describe the overall effect?

▮ How do I respond to the quality of “fullness” or “emptiness” in this installation?

▮ Does the stonework define or create space?

▮ Does the stonework create a microclimate by trapping heat or creating shade?

▮ How much stone is used?

▮ In the settings that you like the best, what percentage of the total project area is stone?

▮ How much stone is visible at different times of the year, i.e., with or without plants in leaf?

This view shows what you can do when combining different materials in one design.

In many areas, native stone is the material of choice for outdoor living areas.

TRADEOFFS. Ultimately, there are tradeoffs between design goals, site possibilities, and the budget. Many homeowners find this part of the design process the hardest. In these cases, it is often best to seek out the opinions of friends and acquaintances. Eventually, you start to trust in the process, and an aesthetic emerges that works for you and the site.

INSPIRATION FROM THE SITE

The site for your project is a valuable source of inspiration. Often the land itself suggests use and design possibilities that can influence the overall project plan. Professional designers always consider a site’s assets as part of the design phase of a project; this approach makes sense for homeowners as well. It’s usually less expensive to work with, rather than alter, existing site conditions. It’s also easier— and you’re more likely—to end up with a project that is well integrated into its surroundings. You’ll find more on working with the site in Chapter 2.

USE PROPS

Visual aids help you explore ideas and prepare for installing your project. Use cardboard cutouts to make path “stones” a pattern for a patio, or as a way to envision a retainer wall or steps. Use malleable materials such as chicken wire and crumpled-up paper to test the location of large boulders. Branches and small trees can represent future mature plants. Garden hose and rope work well to outline paths, beds, water features, or a patio. Even grade stakes and string are useful to help you visualize the space as you plan to reconfigure it.

Although the designer combined brick with stone, the walls, borders, steps, and walkway work well together.

BE CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR MATERIALS. Play with stone the way an artist experiments with materials. Explore and test patterns, spacing, and the effect of light and shade. Observe how different stones look and feel when they are wet. Study the relationship between stone and its surroundings in existing projects. These exercises provide a basis for decisions that will affect the look of your stonework.