The Daily Dig

I've been wanting to put more color and texture into my garden, but instead of doing it with plants and flowers, I've decided to do it with gravel. Those tiny colorless pebbles have come a long way. Gone are the sharp red pieces of lava rock that my parents would make me walk barefoot on to get to the pool. Thank god they were red so you couldn't see my bloody footprints!

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I've been experimenting with a wide variety of materials to use in my container garden. A collection of corks from wine and champagne bottles sat on my kitchen counter for over a year. They started to make me feel like an alcoholic, so I decided to place them in one of my large pots to keep one of my tropical plants company. They look Tres Chic! Not only did I recycle, but I also created depth and interest to my plant's surroundings while keeping my mementos of party's past.

While recently visiting my friend Brad Austin's garden, I noticed he was using alternative gravels as well. His garden is very cutting edge and he uses everything from big chunks of glass, mountains of glass mercury balls, and river rock with ceramic spheres to create a gravel-less ground cover. Brad likes to tell a story with his garden, and with his groovy choices in gravel, he always succeeds.

On a recent trip to Bourget Bros. Building Materials in Santa Monica, I was amazed at the wide array of gravel that they had in stock. The glass rocks were my favorite because they came in just about every color, finish, and size. Some of the other more interesting choices were crushed mirror, coral, and rocks that looked like baby clams.

Today's gravel choices are only limited by your imagination. Try and think outside the box when using alternative gravels. I just filled up my Bonsai ficus pot with a jars worth of art glass beads that were collecting dust on my shelf. Be creative, recycle, and have fun!

Check out all the groovy gravel @ www.bourgetbros.com