Smooth & Polished
Modern landscaping designs often benefit from decorative rocks that have a smooth and sleek appearance. Black polished pebbles are carefully prepared to smooth away any rough edges that would interfere with light reflection.
You may prefer to use smooth decorative rocks in areas where people might walk with bare feet, such as around pools and play areas. Smooth decorative rocks can also be combined with more textured types to create interest in a landscaping design.
Lightly Grainy
Some light graininess makes landscaping rocks appear more natural. This type of textured decorative rock combines the benefits of smooth types with the natural look people often prefer outdoors. For instance, Mexican beach pebbles are still smooth enough to feel comfortable walking on, but they aren’t polished to the point that the natural texture is gone.
You might enjoy seeing lightly grainy rocks lining a water feature in your yard. These types of decorative rocks also tend to be used to encourage drainage around the exterior walls of buildings.
Slightly Fissured
Larger decorative rocks often have small fissures that develop naturally during their formation. Rock suppliers tend to prefer to leave these fissures in place to prevent the decorative rocks from getting smaller as part of the polishing process. People also tend to prefer slight fissures for adding texture to parts of their landscapes that could use a boost in visual interest.
Keep in mind these fissures are small enough that they don’t interfere with the decorative rocks’ structural integrity or durability. The light fissures are visible and able to be felt by hand, but they aren’t deep cracks that would harbor dirt. Instead, they’re easy to clean with a normal spray-and-wash method, just as with smoother white pebbles.
Speckled & Pitted
Tiny pits and speckles add a fun and whimsical touch to landscaping designs. Speckled rocks can sometimes be smooth, but they tend to have some light texture due to the different materials that exist within the decorative rocks.
Mixed gold pebbles are an example of decorative rocks with a speckled and slightly pitted texture that are fun to include in many landscaping elements. You can try putting these in decorative rock beds for an eye-catching display.
Ridged
Ridged rocks have a texture that goes deeper than what you’ll see in ones with slight fissures. Typically, ridged rocks are larger. White quartz and granite boulders tend to have ridges that form naturally and create a unique feature in a landscape. When you want larger decorative rocks in your landscape, you can use ridged rocks to add height changes that influence the final effects of the design.
No matter what size or type of landscaping project you’re planning, you can enhance its character and beauty with a variety of decorative stones. For advice on designing your landscape with decorative rocks and beach pebbles, reach out to the experts at RS&P Rocks Stones & Pebbles, a premier landscape rock and supply superstore. We specialize in drought-tolerant landscaping materials, including a variety of Mexican beach pebble and river rock. To learn how we can help you enhance the look of your landscape, call us today.
