Slate is a fine grained mineral which when cut, forms smooth, flat sheets of stone which have long been used for roof and floor tiles. The slate aggregates available for use in garden design are a by-product of roof and floor tile production. The majority of UK slate comes from Wales, Cornwall and Cumbria and has three natural colours: blue, green and plum, all of which will provide impact and a natural quality to your garden.
Decorative
There are several decorative uses for slate in the garden and it’s available in various different forms depending on what you need: from small or medium sized chippings, larger paddlestones, walling blocks, right up to large boulders and monolith slabs.
Paths
For use on paths slate chippings are smoother and flatter than gravel, which makes them easier to walk on. Whichever colour you choose for a garden path it will always look vibrant, even when wet.
Mulch
Small slate chippings are ideal to use for ground cover or as mulch around plants in the border or in containers. Green slate chippings will naturally enhance the look of your plants and shrubs.
Walling Stone
Slate walling stones have a high impact when used for retaining walls, a raised bed or a dry stone wall feature in the garden. The smooth finish and depth of colour in a slate wall brings a natural beauty to the garden.
Paddlestones
Paddlestones are larger pieces of slate, from about 40 to 150mm in size and can be used to great effect in rockeries or planting areas as a screen cover. They are also perfect for water features as the slate looks striking when wet. Larger slate stones are also ideal for ponds as, unlike limestone for instance, slate does not change the pH of the water, thereby keeping the pond healthy.
Monolith
For a stunning focal point, a slate monolith or standing stone is hard to beat. These large pieces are also available drilled so they can be used as a stand-alone water feature to really give your garden the wow factor.
Slate is great!
