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— Photo: S. Gopakumar

Natural look: A garden with natural stone pavers and a well lined with a laterite stone sidewall.

A well-maintained garden is a proud possession for a family, it is a signature, lending character and identity to the house. Most households today take the trouble to consult garden designers to create a private green space. Professional agencies can convert even a small patch of land into a beautiful garden. Garden design is both scientific and creative, requiring careful planning to create the natural look with the right balance of hard and soft elements.

Stone has always been a popular element in gardens because of its earthy, natural and timeless feel. Stones and rocks are used structurally as well as artistically throughout a garden, to augment the other things that are real and natural.

Driveways, patios, stepping stones and walkways constitute some of the applications of stone in a garden. Natural stone pavers have emerged as a favourite option for landscape designers. Unlike concrete interlocking tiles, stone blocks and slabs look more natural.

“Cera stones and Bangalore stones sourced from Hyderabad and Bangalore are also used for paving in gardens. Though expensive, they are available as big slabs and are less thick. Granite supplied by local quarries is the cheaper option. It is available in smaller slabs and come in grey or black,” says K.R. Shambhu, who runs Green Care, a garden design firm in the city. The rough texture of granite imparts a natural anti-skid property to pavers.

Laying pavers is a specialised job. The blocks are laid on a sand bed, leaving a two-inch gap in between that is later planted with grass or filled with baby metal or pebble.

The gap permits easy rainwater percolation. Usually, the granite slabs are held in place with a kerb made of Cera stone that is easier to shape. Even the best-laid pavers can be undone by poorly compacted sub-surface soil and lack of adequate stormwater drainage. Once the sand bed becomes loose, the pavers will sink, destabilising the driveway. “The driveway, patio or garden seating area is designed to suit the architecture of the building. The garden furniture is also chosen to go well with the overall design,” Mr. Shambhu says. In larger gardens, walkways are used to divide expansive lawns. Natural stones are also used as steps and garden benches and to enhance the beauty of water bodies in a garden. “One of the advantages of natural stone is that it goes well with most other elements like wood and laterite surfaces,” adds Mr. Shambhu. Another application of natural stone is cladding for compound walls.

Slabs of lesser thickness are used for the purpose. “Hardscape” elements such as stone require virtually no maintenance and last more than a lifetime. But they are to be used sparingly, along with greenery.

“That is because they tend to become monotonous over time, unlike plants which shed their leaves, regenerate and burst into bloom at specific times of the year,” Mr. Shambhu says.

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