Friday, July 22, 2011

DECISIONS, DECISIONS ~ HAVING FUN WITH GRAVEL

It's my last week before I have to start thinking about school again (I'm a teacher). That means all of my summer projects are in full swing. This week I am making decisions on gravel paths for our agave garden. I'm also lining our rustic brick path with gravel that has to match blue bottles. The blue bottle 'shrubs' are interspersed with blue agaves, so I want a gravel that's subtle and blends well, sort of an afterthought to the viewer. I really get into this kind of thing. My wife brings home paint samples; I bring home gravel samples. Funny, huh?
L to R: black star drain rock, medium bronze pebbles, light chert drain rock, playground brown pebbles

From bottom to top: chert drain rock, black star, basalt blocks, medium bronze pea gravel, black Rio Grande cobbles,  rainbow mix pea gravel, & mixed Rio Grande cobbles.
I've been getting stones from San Jacinto Stone since 1989. They are at 195 Yale Street in central Houston, Texas. They are open all week and on weekends from 9 to 3.
They have 26 kinds of sand, gravel, and cobbles. First, you drive into the place and park at the office. If you've never been to a rock yard, it can be a bit overwhelming. Don't panic.  Go in and look at the display case and get some prices. For small orders, they sell everything by the bag. After you pay the cashier, they will use a walkie-talkie and tell the guys to bag up your order. Drive to the gravel area and they will load it for you. I usually give them a dollar tip since I am so glad they load it for me. Then drive home. That's it!
Here are some of the bags. They can weigh from 70 to 80 lbs each, so get someone to load it for you.
This was last summer when it rained 12 inches in one month.
Each gravel is marked with a bag price and prices for larger amounts. The prices are very reasonable.
If you like to do your own landscaping, this is a very exciting place. It's usually not this wet...it was an unusually wet summer last year.
I'll post my finished landscaping projects by the end of the month.
Thanks for stopping by. David/ :-)




3 comments:

  1. Your samples stripes look good. Couldn't you find a way of making divisions so you could keep them like that? It would be quite dramatic.

    Esther

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  2. Hay David
    It is an exciting place you have found with stone and gravel.
    Thank you for your kind words about my garden. I`ve looked at the garden you suggested, but it´s probably not my twin. The garden is probably a little too colorful for my taste.
    Kh Jørn

    ReplyDelete

I always appreciate your comments & questions! Happy Gardening from David/ Tropical Texana

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