Landscaping With Mexican Black Pebbles

Rinse the pebbles to remove any dust. This is easily done within the package or container in which the pebbles come. Place the container outdoors and rinse the stones with running water from a hose. If you plan to use the Mexican black pebbles around ornamental plants, consider disinfecting the stones first. Depending on the source, the pebbles could have previously been used around unhealthy plants. Rinse the pebbles with a bleach solution of 1/4 cup bleach per 2 gallons of water. Follow with a fresh water rinse.

Remove any weeds or grass from the area. Dig up or apply a broad spectrum herbicide to the offending plants. Don't use broad spectrum herbicides around ornamental plants as these will kill any foliage that comes into contact with the herbicides.

Loosen the top inch or so of garden soil (not directly over plant roots). For pathways or other yard coverings, level the ground using a shovel, trowel and level. Dig into the ground to level it as opposed to building it up. Mexican black pebbles stay put better when they are slightly below grade at 1/2 to 1 inch. There's no need to level the ground in garden beds.

Create a border for your Mexican black stones. This is an optional step but will keep the smooth, slick stones from sliding out of place. Choose larger rocks, garden borders, stones or concrete curbing of any shape size or color.

Place borders around pathways, garden beds, tree planting sites or any other design structure you envision. For the most stable set up, dig a level trench so at least 1/3 of each rock, stone, border or curb sits below grade and rises at least 1/2-inch above the Mexican black stone layer.

Spread the Mexican black pebbles over the ground as desired. For ornamental plantings, 2 inches of Mexican black pebbles is more than sufficient. For tree plantings, don't go any deeper than 3 inches. Walkways may be 3 inches or deeper; however, at least 1/3 of the height should be below grade.