Softening outdoor environments with a sponge garden

Flooding and low groundwater levels are putting softening of outdoor environments higher and higher on the agenda. As a total supplier for the professional, E.L.S. Garden wants to offer appropriate solutions for this too. The family company does so, among other things, with its own developed Gravellock, innovative gravel stabilisation mats for car parks and driveways.

Softening an outdoor environment can be done with large joints between tiles or bricks or by providing sufficient green areas. For places where many cars or even heavier vehicles drive over, this is not the best solution. This is when E.L.S. Garden's Gravellock is a good alternative. 

“Gravel is ideal as a semi-hardener, but without a solid layer, the pebbles are soon completely driven into the ground. If you opt for a cloth, substances such as pollen accumulate and the system becomes clogged, resulting in less permeability and more weeds,” explains Els Meynen, business manager of E.L.S. Garden. “Gravellock consists of a fine-mesh grid. Soil life can get to the living material in the top layer of soil through the mesh. This way, everything digests well and the substrate stays more open, partly because of the little tunnels the insects dig.”

For every application

The innovative concept of a grid and net as a solution for softened environments lends itself to a variety of applications. From footpaths to driveways. For drivable sites, E.L.S. Garden recommends providing stone rubble or other stabiliser first, with Gravellock on top. As a top layer, the desired gravel comes on top, for a nice, neat and durable finish. Els Meynen: “In addition to classic black, we also have a white ecru version to better suit the wishes and needs of garden architects and landscapers. The ecru variant is finished with a UV-resistant fabric, for a longer lifespan.”

Besides the Gravellock, the Gravelnet is also an in-house development of E.L.S. Garden. That flexible plastic is available on rolls 2.10 metres wide. You simply roll them out between plantings and prevent stones from being pushed deep into the ground.

Creative with stepping stones

In a sloping city garden or a natural garden with a water feature, you might prefer to work with more classic materials that enhance the garden architecture. Stepping stones find the ideal balance between stability as a walking path, aesthetic possibilities and sufficient water-permeable surface. “A lot is possible stylistically there too,” Els Meynen emphasises. “Tiles or flat coping stones are an ideal solution for finishing off a sleek, modern garden. For more rural settings, we have the Flagstone range in our collection. These natural broken stones have a charming appearance. Sometimes they are even used as terraces, with a slightly wider joint. Highly recommended.”