River rock is the most popular and budget-friendly decorative stone choice for residential garden beds, typically priced around $60 to $80 per cubic yard from local nurseries. Pea gravel and crushed granite are also cost-effective options, though crushed granite is more specialized for drainage pathways and sloped terrain.

The best rock size depends on the functional area: Standard Garden Beds: 3/4-inch to 1 and 1/2-inch river rock provides a smooth, polished look that stays securely in place without washing away. Pathways & Play Areas: 3/8-inch pea gravel offers a soft, small-grain surface that is easy to walk on. Slopes & High-Drainage Swales: Crushed granite or angular crushed rock interlocks to prevent sliding on hillsides during heavy rains.

Adding new rock directly on top of an existing thick layer of old stone is not recommended. Excessively deep rock layers spill over edging onto surrounding grass, creating lawnmower hazards. Additionally, foot traffic causes underlying old dirt and rock layers to shift and expose older, mismatched stone. Old, dirty rock or weeds should be cleared or covered with fresh weed fabric before spreading new decorative stone.

Clear all fallen leaves, sticks, and overgrown weeds from the garden bed. Inspect existing heavy-duty landscape fabric; if it is intact, leave it in place and re-anchor loose edges with weed barrier staples. If the old fabric is torn or missing, lay down a new layer of commercial-grade landscape fabric to prevent weeds from growing up through the new stone.

Scoop the delivered rock from your driveway pile into wheelbarrows using spade shovels. Because aggregate stone is extremely heavy, fill wheelbarrows only half-full to prevent tipping and lawn damage. Wheelbarrow the rock into the garden beds and dump it into separate small mounds across the area, then use heavy steel bow rakes to level and distribute the rock evenly.

A standard decorative rock layer should be spread roughly 2 inches thick. A 2-inch depth is thick enough to completely cover underlying landscape fabric from sunlight while remaining low enough to stay contained within landscape edging borders.

Look for a service with simple hourly pricing and strong customer reviews. Measure your garden beds, calculate the cubic yards needed, and arrange for a local stone supplier to deliver the rock directly to your driveway. Hiring a transparent, labor-only service provides the heavy shoveling, wheelbarrowing, and raking muscle needed to spread your stone without paying markup fees on materials. Click here to get a free estimate on rock installation from His Workmanship.