How to Use River Stone in Landscaping

Choose a certain color or combination of colors of river rocks to use in your landscape. If you are purchasing river stone, you probably have options such as white, green, red and black. A mix of three colors looks more natural, but a single color can stand out more against your landscaping.

Surround your flower beds with the river rock. These rocks provide a natural-looking physical barrier between your bed and your lawn, and they help to prevent your grass from encroaching on your plants. If you are using a particular color of river stone, you can choose colorful plants to either complement or contrast with the stone. When you install the borders, dig a small trench at least 2 inches deep and then lay the stones in the trench.

Create a dry river bed on your property. If you have a lot of oddly shaped river stones ranging from pebbles to rocks, you can use them all together in a river bed. Dig a meandering trench several inches deep; make sure the trench slopes toward the bottom of your property because rainwater and runoff will collect in the trench. Fill the trench with all kinds of river stone to create the appearance of an old stream bed. The meandering nature of the stream leaves many pockets where you can plant foliage. If you have access to a water source, you can divert it and make this bed into a real stream.

Build structures out of the river stone that can be both decorative and functional. Construct a retaining wall or a standing wall out of large river stones. If you keep the wall less than 3 feet high, you won't even need any mortar. You also can build a fireplace or small benches so people can sit and enjoy your landscaping.

Construct a river rock path through your garden. Use small stones to line the path and large rocks in the center as stepping stones. Fill in the rest of the area with pebbles and gravel. A path looks attractive, and it makes all the areas of your garden accessible.