What is the end purpose of the pea gravel patio? For safety reasons around the fire pit? Are you going to walk on it? Put chairs on it? Just to keep from having to mow there?

I have had some experience with pea gravel. Never, never, never again will I bring one pebble of pea gravel onto my yard.

Are you going for something like this? (Houzz photo)

Inside Out · More Info

Hello littlebug. Thank you for the response! There are multiple reasons i decided to go this route. I have never been able to grow grass well in that area. In addition, i really like the look of a gravel patio and i have a long term plan that will bring in some Japanese influence. I will likely have some chairs and other plants in the area. I would say the end goal i am looking for is more like this but with a fire pit instead of the charis and the area will be bordered with grass and mulch. I am open to any suggestions you have. Would you also mind elaborating on why you dislike pea gravel so much?

These two come somewhat closer to my plan...

Hey Mad and LIttlebug, do you have any gravel type material you recommend over the pea gravel given the look i am going for is that of a japanese type garden / dry river bed.

Look into gravel stabilizers like Klingstone. Or depending on where you are, some sort of paving stone may be cost effective. I'm currently in the middle of a paving project where the stone is coming out of one garden bed and into the middle of another. I understand not everybody can do that, but there are a lot of sources of cheap/free rock around here so long as you don't insist on perfectly cut faces.

I cannot agree more with mad_gallica. We inherited a pea gravel driveway which is gone now and I'll never have the stuff anywhere in my yard again. (Well, OK, it's good for a drainage level in terrariums and dish gardens ... as long as it can't escape.)

Here's another vote against pea gravel :-) At least on any area that receives considerable foot traffic. It's very unstable to walk on - a lot like walking on loose dry sand at the beach, except of a much larger size. It would be better to use something with sharp or rough edges that can be compacted to afford a firm surface - decomposed granite, small gravel (1/4" to 3/8" minus) - like what they use for a paver base.

Pea gravel does have its usage :-) I have a terraced area off the back of my deck that is made out of recycled concrete chunks and pea gravel is the filler in between the concrete. Because of the way the concrete was fitted together along the edges, the pea gravel does remain in place and has not migrated at all. It does allow for some weed development but any gravel/small stone surface can and I find them quite easy to remove from the loose stone.

on the other hand, I quite like my crushed gravel yard, which is composed of fine, sharp pieces which fit together and compact down. Very nice to walk on and inexpensive.

Pea gravel underfoot is like walking on marbles. It has a problem with traveling, especially if you have kids, pets, or a lawn mower. There's no way to keep it clean. Ever tried to pick new-mown grass from pea gravel? Tried to rake leaves off it? And weeds grow up in it.

Since you asked for suggestions, I'd make a flagstone patio like the Houzz picture I posted earlier in this thread.

Violet I thought you used paver base and not pea gravel. Please show him your backyard.

I did not use paver base (except under my pavers) or pea gravel. (Perhaps I confused by using "on the other hand"). I used what is called around here "chat" or crushed gravel. It's not the same as paver base, though. Nomenclature and materials vary by region I think.

Here's a pic of mine.

Thank you all for the comments and feedback! Based on your suggestions (and warnings) i did some more research and i came upon the option of slate chips. Does anyone have any experience with these? My internet research says they do not move around as much and compact much better than pea gravel. I also think they still look pretty good, as seen in the picture below.

Here is perhaps a picture that is a better approximation of how i would like this area to come together. Just substitute the river for a fire pit....Thoughts?

You might consider decomposed granite, shown here around a fire pit. There are 2" of CA-6 gravel, compacted and then capped with 2" of decomposed granite. Works like a charm. Hope this is helpful and good luck with your project.

Farmhouse Patio · More Info

Slate chips-- not if you're planning to walk much on it

Hey violet, would you mind elaborating on your comment? Why can't you walk on the slate chips?

well, they might be okay and truthfully I have no experience with slate chips. However I do have a similar type of rock in my front yard -- about 1 1/2 to 2", sharp edged landscape rock. I find it shifts around, is hard edged, and is extremely unstable under the feet. Maybe slate chips are flatter and would work better; not sure.

I admire your ambition! All of the advice here is spot on. Pea gravel is horrible to walk on and so are the large slate chips pictured. If your slate chips were much smaller (1/4"ish) that may work but slate also tends to be very sharp. HERE is a link to our fire pit project. I originally wanted pea gravel for the aesthetic value but our landscaper took me to a park that had pea gravel paths. Once I walked on it I knew it was a nonstarter. We looked at both chipped granite and chipped limestone and ended up going with the limestone. The chipped limestone has been great from day one and just gets better with age. It has compacted really nicely and it's really 0 maintenance. Good luck with your project!

Thank you for the response kday! Unfortunately, I don't have access to limestone where i live (Georgia). Can you or anyone else recommend other options that might work here?

I think the main thing is to stick with something that has the same characteristics as the limestone. Our limestone is 3/8ths and angular. This helps it crush down and lock into place unlike a round pea gravel. Here limestone is abundant and cheap since it's local. I bet you have a local rock that falls into the same category, check it out. Also, like K&D mentioned, decomposed granite would work nicely. We have it here too and it's actually a bit less expensive than granite. Lastly, since you can get pea gravel you might see if you can get chipped pea gravel. We have it here too but it's 3/8ths and angular so it doesn't have the same issues as regular round pea gravel.

Good luck and post pics! We all love to see pics :)

Frankly, I don't believe I have seen a Japanese garden (or Asian inspired garden) that features a fire pit. The only way I would design one into a landscape is that the firepit looks Asian somehow, Zenlike, but not at all like a conventional fire pit especially a round campfire style one. Maybe a fire bowl style that is shaped like a wok.

Regarding the pea gravel, yes can look Asian, but for a walking surface, best to pour concrete and "seed" the pea pebbles into the surface using round pea gravel vs. angular.

It seems his goal is to not pour concrete. I agree with the above comments about Japanese gardens.

Wesp15 I have a feeling you like larger stones. Why not use chat, or whatever it is called there, and then have a border with riverstone. The chat does not have to be the same color that Violet used.

Hello JSL and emmarene. Thank you for your comments and suggestions. emarrene is correct in that my goal it to complete this area of my yard that will not grow grass with something other than concrete or mulch (since the rest of my yard plan will contain a large mulch area). In addition, i am planning to to design the fire pit to look like a Koi pond which will somewhat maintain the Japanese inspired aesthetic. I will certainly look into "chat" as an alternative as i am not familiar with it. My biggest concern is finding a material that compacts well, minimizes travel, and stays put on a slight slope. The conversation thus far has been very helpful! I certainly welcome any other feedback or suggestions.

Any small pebbles, river rock or crushed gravel can serve symbolically as water, but if you must have something suitable to walk on and not be limited to that criteria, consider using stepping stones for the pathway which can be of natural stone or other precast type pieces.

I am curious to know what is your vision to make the fire pit look like a koi pond?

I have also seen flat river rock or other slate like stones be laid all in the same direction and overlapping to simulate the flow of water rather than just scattering them randomly. Time consuming, but very cool since there is no question that the stones are intended to mimic a stream.

"Water" as in a pond is always level, and so if there is a "slight slope" of the gravel/stones, it would not come off as polished as building up the downside with a low retaining structure - perhaps larger boulder stones so that your pond looks more natural.

Hello JSL, this evening i will get a picture of my sketch so you can see my vision for the fire pit. I will definitely look into adding some stepping stones to the fire pit, that is a great recommendation! In addition, i spoke with someone from a landscape supply company this morning who recommended using medium slate chips for the area (https://www.georgialandscapesupply.com/bulk-landscaping-materials/gravel/medium-slate-chip/46). He said they compacted fairly well and minimize travel. Do you have any experience with these? Do you disagree?

Doesn't seem like it's necessary for any more people to cast a vote against pea gravel as a walking surface, but I will chime in with complete agreement that it is one of the best ways to wrongly use a material. Just looking at the slate chips has me casting a vote against it, too. It will be a tiny bit better than pea gravel, but far inferior to other materials. The key to getting a good walking surface of granular material is that, a) none of the materials are larger than about 1/2" to 5/8"; b.) in addition to the largest sizes, there are all sizes smaller all the way down to sand and dust; c.) the material shape is angular, not rounded like pea gravel. (The slate chips fulfill only one of these criteria.) There are many crushed rock materials that work well and they vary with the different regions. One just needs to visit the yards where such things are sold and see what's available. Another consideration if it will be used during the daytime is that darker materials are not as glaring in the sun. (This is important to many people.) As one example though it is hard to find, crushed brick is about as nice as it gets. It's dark, pretty colored and packs down hard. Cinders, if not too large, is good too. In the end, a good surface should be almost hard enough to bounce a basketball on.