1/4" limestone around foundation?

[johnrex62]

If you are looking to even out the moisture level of the dirt to protect your foundation, I would think a flowerbed with a drip irrigation system and loads of mulch would help even out the drying/wetting pattern much more effectively than a layer of rock.

The only benefit I would see to the crushed rock would be to eliminate the mud as you walk around. The ground will still dry and crack below the limestone almost as much as if it were not there unless there is some way of adding water to the environment. A drip system will add water (minimal amounts) and the mulch will help prevent it from evaporating too quickly. This will make for a more even pattern and less stress on your foundation.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

Thank you for the responses. I had thought the small rocks would stop the soil from washing out as well. Guess that might not be true. What if I put mulch over the rock?

The reason I won't put flowers next to the house: roots. Many plant roots are invasive and can literally break through concrete in order to bloom. I haven't done enough research to find the plants that would not do that, don't know if they exist.

I only did the one side of the house as an experiment and will hold off doing the rest. I'm not very creative when it comes to landscaping with small rocks. Under the ground where we used to live were lot's of huge boulders which we dug out...fun! There is even one holding up the original part of the old farmhouse we lived in...lol. That part of the house is 130 years old. I divert.

I've come to the conclusion it was the exercise from shoveling them into a wheelbarrow and then moving them again that I enjoyed. Sometimes I'm more brawn than brain. It's the farmer inside of me that needed an outlet.

We wound up spreading it around the entrance to the shed. It actually made a nice area free from grass... er, weeds and it doesn't look all that bad. Stuck the picinc table over there, a couple of chairs and voila...a picnic area.

Maybe the entire back yard wouldn't look bad in stone...