Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) just announced the 2022 winners in various categories of landscape design. We were delighted to see Mexican landscape pebbles featured in several of the award-winning designs. Depending on the location of the design, APLD designers call these round beach rocks Mexican river rocks or Mexican beach pebbles. It is only a semantic difference – the oval and rounded little stones add beauty to any landscape style and theme.
Mid-Century Vibe Landscape in the Midwest
The APLD judges awarded this design their silver medal in the “residential landscape” category. It features luscious greenery, contrast bushes and low shrub, and plenty of flowering elements to add contrast and seasonal change. Grey landscape pebbles tie together the overall look by joining all the pathways and contrast borders. They provide a continuance of an eye-pleasing, neutral grey color with bluish undertones.
Judges praised this design for its simplicity, great use of a variety of materials and textures, and ability to incorporate existing hardscape elements. The look also does not overpower the older house structure, which is very simple in its design.
Urban Garden Oasis with Black Landscape Pebbles
Sometimes designers turn even very small spaces into relaxing, lush gardens. The Association recognizes this trend and awarded its Gold medal in the “Unique Solutions” category to this urban garden. Located within a busy city, this tiny space uses landscape pebbles as a focal element. Everything else is organized geometrically around the beach pebble path.
This beach pebble walking path can be used as a Zen element for meditative walks. It is also sturdy enough for lounge chairs and a fireplace on warm summer evenings. In addition, maintenance is a breaze because residents only need to occasionally spray the rocks with water to wash away any dirt and fallen leaves.
Pebble Fireplace – An Increasingly Popular Design Solution
This yeard, the APLD judges noted that pebble fireplaces are popping up all over the place. Many customers now ask their landscape designers to create fire pits that look great always – not just when they are in use. A great solution to this design dilemma is to fill the fire pit with landscape pebbles. This way, the central element of the relaxing zone will look attractive even when there are no flames licking the stones.
Designers also like to use river pebbles and beach pebbles in fireplaces due to the enhanced safety factor. In many parts of the country, landscape designers need to take into consideration seasonal fire risk. This is why they sometimes recommend to install a gas fireplace filled with non-flammable rock. Such structure will never catch on fire, and it can also be distinguished by simply turning off the gas.
Pebble Pathways – A Million Possibilities
When browsing through the winners of the APLD Landscape Designs, we noticed beach pebbles almost on every other page. When not takign the center stage, these rounded stones often are found in borders and between pavers. Designers love to break up an otherwise monotone concrete slab walkway by creating pavers and placing landscape pebbles between them.
When our customers call and ask about this landscape solution, we always caution them to measure the spaces carefully. This is because we need to make sure that beach pebbles will fit in the spaces, but at the same time will not be too small. The most popular sizes of pebbles for stone pathways are 1-2 and 2-3 inches. Most often customers choose black pebbles to contrast light-colored pavers.
Contact Us for All Your Landscaping Pebble Needs!
We invite you to call or email us to chat about all your landscaping rock needs. Whether you are just starting on your project, or you want to replace an existing landscape element, we are your premier source of top quality Mexican beach pebbles.