Using stones in landscaping: Are man – Part 1

There are several factors when deciding between natural and man made stone. Which will serve your purposes more exactly? Personally I prefer the look and texture of natural stone.

Natural stone is much more durable, in most cases, than man-made stone. Over the years I have purchased different types of man made and have found that they are to lightweight. My land has very young trees, not anything that can really stop the wind yet. Therefore, the man made stone is constantly scattered across my yard.

The main advantage to using natural stone is that it will retain its appearance after many rainstorms. You will not have to tuck it away in the corner of your garden shed for the winter. Many of the resin products tend to loose their coloring over the course of a couple of winters. Often times it will appear as though paint is coming off. Natural stone will appear authentic, because it is. Whereas man made will often times look man made. I have yet to find a man made stone that looks real.Typically the man made stone appears to look very cheap as well.

If your desire is creating a landscape that looks and feels natural, the obvious choice is natural stone. One examples would include edging a rock garden, unnatural looking stone will only detract from the incredible work that you have done.

Do not forget that natural stone can be free if you want it to be. Yes, it can get expensive if you purchase it from a supplier. Man-made can also get expensive, especially if you want stone that looks and feels real. Unfortunately, if you are wanting to use a stone that isn’t necessarily native to your area, you will have to pay for it. Something that I have started doing is contacting local farmers in my area, they are all to happy to have me come and remove the stone pile from their field.

It is also true that natural stone can get heavy, especially larger pieces. Unless you are willing to call upon friends and family, or have a way of hauling it, you may need to spend the extra money to hire a contractor.

In the end, I feel that the natural way is always best. And besides, your helping to save the environment by not purchasing man made…who wants to help pay for the manufacturing process?