This or that: Lawn vs Pebbles

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

If you were starting from scratch, which would you prefer in front of your house; a patch of soft lawn for added nature, or the convenience of pebbles and stones?

Share your reasons below in the comments!

Grass is less harsh

Pebbles for less quibbles

Something else! (Please explain)

Featured Answer

springcath

9 years ago

Definitely grass! We had lots of small rocks instead of mulch at our last home. Not only did they get hot enough in the summer months to kill nearby flowers/plants, but weeds came up through them despite a barrier.

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Comments (58)

Luke Buckle
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thos Baker, those are great alternative ideas. Curt, I realise I should have added a 'both' option!
ambersarris
9 years ago
I have a friend with pebbles in her garden and they are the biggest pain in the butt to keep clean especially with small leaves falling from nearby trees. They are beautiful but from what i've seen pebbles are higher maintenance than grass.
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The front of a house should be crisp and clean and elegant. That all important kerb appeal is created by simple lines and geometry. Give the hedge a radical trim, or even better take it out and put in something more structured like Hornbeam or Box that you can keep in shape. Introduce a tiled threshold that marks the entrance to the property. Have some wall washers either side of the entrance so that it's warm and inviting by night. Use some simple planters with clipped topiary to create a chic frame to the entrance. If you've got sufficient budget re-lay the pathway with a natural stone, or tile and give it a generous width of at least 1.2m to allow for planting to grow over. Create some simple planted borders along the pathway, again to mark the entrance to the house and introduce some softness. If you're looking for low maintenance remove the lawn and introduce more paving and some simple planting. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but planting takes much less time to maintain than a lawn. If a lawn is not mown regularly it will quickly become overgrown and scruffy. A lawn needs weeding and feeding, scarifying and aerating regularly to keep it looking good. Hiding the bins is also a good idea. If you can't keep them round the back then put in a wooden bin store, or hide them with some hedging. Here's a link to a blog post about designing a front garden: http://gardendesignuk.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/front-garden-design.html Here's a garden I designed in Woking, Surrey with a simple scheme that's really added some kerb appeal to this house.
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PRO
ASVInteriors
9 years ago
I find that lawns require too much maintenance in terms of pesticide, herbicide and maintenance so I am loathe to recommend anything more than a small patch.I like a combination of all and I do lean to artificial turf if the grass is going to be too needy.
adoptsalot
9 years ago
I definitely do not want grass, too high maintenance... and pebbles are pretty but require a lot of work too.. I think a pretty front courtyard, crushed granite, bluestone or another native stone, with a sitting area and some ground cover would work for me. A nice bed of dwarf liriope/mondo would look like grass but not require mowing or much water. I like to spend time enjoying the yard not working on it or constantly maintaining it.
Sigrid
9 years ago
Pebbles/gravel is hard on the feet and gets really hot. You don't need to put pesticides and herbicides on your lawn. Just get over the idea that you need a monoculture with every blade of grass exactly the same.

There are plenty of low maintenance, low water ground covers. There have been ideabooks on them. You have plenty of choices between gravel and grass.

Lawn mowing is good exercise and cheaper than going to the gym.
Tina
9 years ago
Lawns, my chickens need some grass!
bkallaur
9 years ago
I put a grass frame around a small formal garden with a statue and cursed myself every time I mowed that grass with the corded electric mower. I wish I had put in pebbles/gravel.
kpappal
9 years ago
Here in Pennsylvania, it is a rare summer that we have to water our lawn. It is beautiful and green, and I can't imagine not having soft grass to walk on. I can totally understand that this isn't practical in all parts of the country, and not everyone wants to (or is able to) put the time and effort into caring for grass.
Luke Buckle thanked kpappal
klmt
9 years ago
We've recently reno'd and now have zero lawn, but gravel/pebbles are a pain, too - no going barefoot, difficult to keep free of leaves and other debris, gravel gets tracked into house and scratches floor, etc... We live in a water conservation area and used to just let our grass go brown in the summer, so there were only a few months of the year that it needed mowing. In a way, that was easier. But my recommendation would be a ground cover that doesn't require mowing - you'll have a 'natural' look, and leaves are less of a problem then, too, as they don't show up as much as on rock and can be allowed to just decay into the plantings.
Luke Buckle thanked klmt
PRO
EasyTurf
9 years ago
It's great to see the environmental awareness - especially from our So Cal friends and neighbors. EasyTurf can give you a beautiful green lawn and save water!
Check us out at www.easyturf.com
Cheers!
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http://www.houzz.com/projects/82915/Backyard-Installations
tsudhonimh
9 years ago
You state this like it's either grass or rocks, black or white, us or them.

There is a HUGE middle ground full of shrubs, perennials, and native plants that you are ignoring.
Pamela Widmer
9 years ago
Paving stones and grasses look great and are easy to care for.
Rodiyah Adebola
9 years ago
definitely lawn especially for the region I Am Africa, Nigeria Where rainfall is high. lawn is beautiful and the best + it's cool and cozy.
sunnie2day
9 years ago
For us it would be lawn - lawn - lawn over pebbles! We currently have pebbles and it's not the maintenance free landscape a lot of people claim it to be - lawn would be a lot less hassle and would look better too! With pebble, as the barrier degrades (and it will, trust me) the work involved in keeping that lot of little rocks attractive become more and more intensive (please trust me!).

If I have my way (and it's one of the guns I'm sticking to in our reno) that blasted pebble is going gone ASAP in favour of a formal arrangement of specimen natives in parterres - we're thinking ilex hedging for boundaries, and brick paths between the beds - a lot easier on the back for weeding!
hammerhugger
9 years ago
I voted for pebbles only because I live in southern AZ and can't see using our precious water for grass. I just wish other people would do the same. Don't get me wrong, I miss the green, coming from Iowa but I am so afraid we will run out of water here.
Jessica Kerry Mack
9 years ago
I chose other because I think xeriscaping for your region with native plants that require little in terms of watering, fertilizer, or other chemicals because they are properly adapted to the conditions is the best choice. Here in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, polluted runoff from people using too much fertilizer is a big problem. http://www.cbf.org/about-the-bay/issues/polluted-runoff
nosim
9 years ago
All depends on what your house looks like and where you live. You can also create a combination of both. If your home is modern and climate is warm, the stone may work better. If you have a traditional home, you can combine both, emphasizing stone for warm climate and grass for cooler one.
Delora Dickey
9 years ago
Rubber mulch!
cathib
9 years ago
Plant clover instead of grass!!! I did and love it! Adorable and lower maintenance!!
Luke Buckle thanked cathib
Pam Wojcik
9 years ago
OTHER ! Had 'pebbles', and never again: tracked everywhere including lawn, and didn't hinder weeds. Lovin' MY ROCKS though ! New addition this spring, so plantings are still small. Sure, tough to walk on (stepping stones can be incorporated), and can be hotter than grass (but this is a shaded path). No mowing.No chemicals. Lots of options like re-arranging large pots of flowering annuals among the mixture of stones. Bird feeder spill-over not a problem. I would do this again in a heartbeat.
Rosanne
9 years ago
Can't wait to have a nice soft grass lawn again after living in the NM mountains for 25 years.
Karen Nothacker
9 years ago
In my area, weeds would flourish in pebbles!
FeelsLike Heaven
9 years ago
I love both, but tend to side with gravel because of how maintenance free it is. We have a vacation rental house in the Poconos where we don't have any grass at all, just a lot of crushed gravel and woods and we love it.

http://feels-like-heaven.com
Luke Buckle thanked FeelsLike Heaven
Jean Barnett
9 years ago
Drought tolerant plants. Use less water, gives off oxygen. Better for the environment.
Luke Buckle thanked Jean Barnett
sunnie2day
9 years ago
@Cathib, too right about the clover! Our front garden is currently pebbles (on their way out!) but our side and back gardens are mini-meadows (lots of clover to encourage bees and butterflies) and I love the look!
Jane Bateman
9 years ago
Other. Country cottage garden full of plants, flowers, herbs and even a few veggies! A nice pebbled area outside the back door and some unkempt grass meadow up the back behind the veggie garden!
lgshores
9 years ago
We are in drought here in San Antonio, TX. We have drought resistant grass along with lots of rocks, pebbles, and other goodies to conserve water.
Lynda
9 years ago
We currently have grass in our front yard - I'd love to replace it with something that requires less maintenance - but definitely not pebbles! Something green - maybe drought resistant plants.

We have to have a small bit of grass in our backyard, for our pug.
User
9 years ago
Living in So Cal for too long, I voted for pebbles. Grass is useless here.
regina5697
9 years ago
I live in Arizona. I've had both. Currently have grass. While rocks might seem like a good idea, they are a pain to keep looking nice. Grass is work too, but at least you can run the mower to pick up leaves and you didn't have to pull weeds. Rocks need to be replenished every so often and need raking to keep them looking fresh (weekly chore).
Rocks are hot. There's something about having a cool, soft, peaceful lawn. IMO.
Luke Buckle thanked regina5697
Linda Carter
9 years ago
I would like pea gravel with a few drought tolerant plants because of the heat in FL and to save water.
PRO
Interior Concepts Ltd.
9 years ago
A lot of grass, with a bit of pebbled flooring . . . perhaps the walkway
Carolynne S
9 years ago
Other, for sure! In our city, the grass does not grow well no matter what you do. Some have reseeded, resoded, added good top soil, watered perfectly, had landscapers in, etc. all to no avail! I've used pea gravel in the back yard. Didn't take long for it to become a mess even with good grade landscaping paper. I have some river rock in the front as accents and it worked quite well with patches of mulch over landscape paper. Now, I'm in the midst of removing the remaining top layer of grass even in the areas where it looks like nothing grew and plan on mulching the whole thing with cedar adding some small flagstone, river rock and a few perennials. My friends think I'm nuts but I'm aiming for something tidier and no or low maintenance longer term.
alicekevin
9 years ago
We have use washed stone on the walkway and used a short black hard plastic (Lee Valley) edging that keeps the stone path out of the bordering lawns. Vinegar in a bottle and sprayed on offending shoots of grass coming through the stone works .... Much nicer looking than anything else we have tried ... a country home so often what looks great in the city neighbourhoods doesn't work for us.
J.M. Downey
9 years ago
I prefer a mixture of large flat stones, ground cover and groupings of accent plants.
Curt D'Onofrio
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yes J.M. that's what we trying this year. Me and Clo are novices in landscaping, so every year we try something different, and yes you described what we trying this year to a T
luvtremblant
9 years ago
I try to remember to think inclusively when making a decision, not "either/or". So I vote for a combination of the two, which will give you less grass to tend and fewer weeds to pull.
PRO
Trilliums Landscaping & Horticulture
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Definitely other! a nice garden of mostly naive plants that suit your climate, native ground cover & grass, or a rock garden full of living gems.
cameronfraser
9 years ago
Grass is my choice, or a quality artificial lawn if you don't like the maintenance.
The pebbles remind me of a cemetery.
blanchard
9 years ago
My choice is totally age and mobility related. I simply can't keep up a lawn anymore. So I am about to gravel my pocket size back yard and use colorful pots and plants to brighten it up.
Jean Barnett
9 years ago
Blanchard, husband went from cane to walker to wheelchair. If age & mobility is considered please plan for ease of movement through the back yard now so won't have to be redone or restricted later. Just in case.
Marly
9 years ago
Wildflowers!
Marly
9 years ago
And clovers! More natural, and feeds the bunnies and bees.
James Quashie-Sam
9 years ago
Grass is better for the environment and climate. At least it will reduce the CO2 levels.
Marcy
9 years ago
Brick pavings.
PRO
Red Berm
9 years ago
Just to add my two cents because I also believe in affecting the environment there is a rock/pebbles called olivine and it eats CO2. It is being used in paths in greenland.

Here is an article about it http://inhabitat.com/could-this-rock-be-the-key-to-fighting-climate-change/ and "Retired geochemist Olaf Schuiling believes the rock could remove enough CO2 from the atmosphere to halt climate change."
Curt D'Onofrio
9 years ago
Red berm that's very interesting for i appreciate the chemistry behind it but one must remember that olivine being a non-living thing will only absorb only so much CO2 then it's done. An analogy : A sponge (per its size) can only soak up so much water. Tree's & plants thru photosynthesis get rid of CO2 by converting CO2 back to oxygen. But even that process is not perfect, for after a tree dies and falls it starts to decay releasing CO2 back to our atmosphere w/out further producing oxygen (e.g. burning wood for heat produces CO2 & CO...oxygen is not perserved in this case for oxygen is needed to burn the wood. Ideally: Plants surrounding the fireplace shall convert the CO2 back to oxygen as fast as the fireplace converts the oxygen to CO2
hayleydaniels
9 years ago
Another thing that 'eats' CO2 are all plants!! maybe that wasn't taught in school. Plants 'breathe' carbon dioxide and emit oxygen, and we breathe oxygen and emit carbon dioxide.
Curt D'Onofrio
9 years ago
Yup hayleydaniels, people in general are in a way the culprit to global warming, for unlike plants we humans by virtue of breathing consume the oxygen and emit CO2. But some people don't "see" as people as being part of the problem...they are now blaming....whatever
PRO
ALLKIND Joinery
9 years ago
Grass

This or that: Lawn vs Pebbles

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Luke BuckleOriginal Author

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Luke Buckle
Original Author