River Rock Colors for Landscaping

Presorted Smooth Dark Grays

• Purchasing presorted stones of nearly identical color and shape is ideal for making path-like patterns of river rock in your yard or garden; for giving your landscaped rock bed a uniform appearance; and in creating a Zen garden. Dark-gray river rocks can be purchased by the bag or in bulk for such projects. These stones are all in the same color family and are smooth to the touch, giving your landscaping project a feeling of tranquility and consistency. These polished rocks are also smooth under foot, making them well-suited to Zen and tranquility paths.

Mixed Assorted Colors

• Sometimes river rocks are sold by the bag or in bulk as a collection of mixed-color stones. These are often collected from the same area, so they contain colors and types or rocks local to wherever they were gathered. The basic mixed assortment is not presorted by shade but can be found in flat, somewhat polished varieties and also as nonuniform, less-expensive assortments.

Bargain Color Assortments

• The bargain assortments of river rocks are generally not uniform in shape, are unwashed and unpolished, and are largely in shades of grays and light browns. Other colors such as reds and whites may be mixed in, depending on the types of stone found at the source of these river rocks. This type of stone is often used for inexpensive permanent landscaping in commercial areas to keep weeds and erosion at bay.

Other Specialty Colors

• Some vendors offer river rock in more unique colors, such as pure-white stones. Dark reds are another somewhat common offering. These monochromatic choices can be found in collections of flat, uniform pieces and also in more varied shapes and sizes. The flat stones are more smooth and are suited to walking on barefoot. Some vendors sell collections with names such as rainbow, which has many colors; pewter, which is largely gray; and hickory, which has rust and and brown shades.