Why is Cotswold Stone so Good for Gardens?

One of the most popular types of decorative stone used in gardens across the UK is Cotswold gravel. Madingley Mulch supply Cotswold gravel to gardeners in Hertfordshire, Essex, Suffolk, and our home county of Cambridgeshire. Here we explain some of the reasons behind its popularity.

 

It’s Easy to Work With

Cotswold stone is a type of limestone that was formed when the area now known as the Cotswolds was covered by a warm sea. Layer after layer of shell fragments and skeletal remains of marine organisms built up on the seafloor, over time creating large beds of limestone across the area. Similar conditions can be found today in Florida and the Caribbean Sea.

Because Cotswold stone is porous due to its exposure to water, it is also easy to carve or break into smaller pieces such as chips or pebbles.

 

It’s Decorative

Another strong point of Cotswold stone is its colour. As the stone weathers its outward appearance can vary from golden, honey or pearl. This is down to the stone’s original composition, which varies depending on which part of the Cotswolds it comes from.

It is honey-coloured in the north, golden in the central Cotswolds and progressing to a pearly white in Bath in the south of the region. This means you have a choice of colours or can mix and match – whatever combination you opt for, it makes a decorative addition to your garden.

Cotswold stone does better if you pair it with plants that thrive in alkaline conditions (the limestone itself is alkaline). So campanula, clematis, lavender and geraniums will all thrive in a Cotswold gravel bed. It may be more difficult for plants such as rhododendrons, heathers, azaleas and hydrangeas to do well if in close contact with Cotswold stone because they do better in acidic conditions.

 

It’s Functional

Cotswold stone, because of its porosity, drains well, so it is a functional alternative to compost when it comes to your flower beds. It also acts as a good mulch because of its ability to suppress weeds and is particularly good in winter as it offers protection against frosts.

It can be laid to level out any uneven areas in your garden too, which helps if you have any children or pets. It’s good for security as well because you can lay it down on paths making it possible to hear any unwanted guests in your garden.

 

It’s Weather Resistant

It’s also used as a building material in houses and in dry stone walls, particularly in the Cotswolds. The fact that it has the ability to absorb and release water makes it more suitable, not less. This is because all walls need to have this ability otherwise there will be a build-up of moisture over time, weakening the overall structure.

At a smaller level, Cotswold gravel, due to its angular shape, will always lay flat. This helps to create an interlocking surface that will be solid and secure when used on a path or driveway. It’s also extremely hard-wearing and low-maintenance. The occasional wash-down with a hose during dry spells should be more than enough.

 

Cotswold Gravel in Hertfordshire from Madingley Mulch

We supply different types of Cotswold gravel to customers in Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Essex, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. We stock Cotswold buff  (the buff refers to the light brown/yellowish colour) as well as larger garden chips.

If you’d prefer something more organic to use as mulch, then we stock a range of soil conditioners at our base near Cambridge, including our exclusive products, Tony’s Tonic and Denise’s Delight.

We have now changed our delivery arrangements for the first time since 1999. The minimum order eligible for a delivery has increased from £40 to £50; and we have now introduced a sliding tariff of charges to reflect the cost of getting your order delivered (and the space it takes up on the lorry).

For instance,  if your delivery address is between 0-5 miles from our base near Cambridge, then we will be charging £2 per delivery unit; for 5-10 miles, the charge is £4; between 10-20 miles, it’s £8; between 20-30 miles it’s £12; and between 30-40 miles it will be £16. If the delivery address is further than 40 miles away then call us on 01954 212144 for a tailored quotation.

We are defining a delivery unit as either a single bulk (½ or 1 cu m) bag or pack of paving slabs, or a group of other products (such as small bags of cement, tools, fencing products, etc) up to the value of £50 in total. More details about our revised delivery arrangements can be found here.

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